Sakura and Steel, Cinnamon and Blood
by Storm Alert
Summary: Sequel to 'The Moon, the Earth and the Sun'. Byakuya, Renji and Kaili are sent on a mission to the world of the living. Can Kaili survive grade three? Can Renji survive highschool? And can they manage to act like an ordinary family?
1. Hotels, boredom and Captain's meetings

**This is the sequel to the Moon, the Earth and the Sun. If you haven't read that, I strongly suggest that you do so before reading this. It'll make more sense.**

**Anyways, I know this took a while, but I couldn't think of a good beginning. But I figured it out so… The beginning may be a bit confusing, but it'll all work out by the middle of the chapter.**

**And, just as a warning, I had the Moon, the Earth and the Sun all planned out. I knew the basic plot line before I began the story. I'm just winging it here though so… stick with me.**

**If I owned Bleach, the captain's meetings would be much like the one described in this chapter.**

Kaili snuggled closer to Byakuya, murmuring something in her sleep. Byakuya sighed, and glanced over at Renji, who was making a very valiant attempt not to laugh. He looked back at the woman in front of him, struggling to hold back an urge to yell at her. Being known as the great Captain Kuchiki was painful, and annoying, but at times like this, when he was simply 'Byakuya' he realized that it did have its advantages as well.

"I hope that you find a permanent residence quickly," the woman said with the false smile used by people when they were lying, and needed to sound as sincere as possible. Byakuya would bet everything that he had that she was hoping that he never found a permanent residence, and lived in this hotel forever.

"So do I," he told her gravely, and Renji made a soft choking sound beside him. Byakuya frowned. That man was having _far_ too much fun.

Seemingly taken aback by Byakuya's seriousness, the woman- her nametag said Serena- handed him his key without further comment. He thanked her, gave the key to Renji, and shifted Kaili on his shoulder again, wincing as she tightened her grip around his neck.

"St. Albert Inn," Renji said, reading the name on the keycard. "Wonderful. Are we close to the schools?"

"No."

"Can you drive?"

"I'm going to have to learn."

"In a day?"

"I'm a fast learner."

"I think I'll walk."

"You'll have to get up early."

"How early?"

"Very, very early. The schools are on the other side of the city."

Renji winced. "Ouch."

"Uh huh. How does this work?" They had stopped by the elevator.

"Um… I think you push the button." Renji tried, and to both of their surprise, the doors slid open. The three of them entered, and Renji studied the buttons. "What floor are we on?"

"Second."

"So… This one." Renji pushed the button, and then gave a surprised little squeak when they started moving.

The trip to the second floor was terrible, to say the least. Neither Byakuya nor Renji were used to being in moving rooms. When they stumbled out of the elevator on the second floor, they got some very odd looks from the couple waiting for the elevator.

"Next time we find the stairs," Renji grumbled, glaring at the elevator doors, which remained unchanging.

"Agreed."

They found their rooms with little trouble, but getting into them was a different story entirely. They had been given little rectangles of plastic for the key, and neither could figure out how it worked. After ten minutes of quiet swearing- they didn't want to wake Kaili up, Renji went and got help from a nice old woman who was visiting her granddaughter in the city. The fact that the old woman could do it and they couldn't was demeaning, but, as Byakuya pointed out, both of them were old enough to be_ her_ grandfathers. So there.

After some difficulty with the light switch, TV, and the AC, Byakuya and Renji were finally settled into one bed, and Kaili was sprawled out in the other.

Renji fiddled with the lamp, trying to figure out how to turn the damn thing _off_. He still wasn't sure how he'd turned it _on _in the first place.

"Remind me why we're doing this again?" he asked. Byakuya lifted his head off of the pillow to look at him.

"Head Captain Yamamoto ordered it."

"Right… I really hate him right n- I did it!" Renji grinned at his success, and lay back. Byakuya buried his face in the pillow again, and shut his eyes. Soon, he felt the weight of Renji's arm across his back, and he moved closer, snuggling against the red head's bare chest, and breathing in his unique scent. Renji smelt like a combination of cinnamon and blood. With anybody else it would be odd, at best, but it suited Renji.

"Good night Byakuya," Renji murmured sleepily in his ear.

"Good night Renji," Byakuya replied softly. He was asleep within minutes.

******Two Days Earlier******

Renji stared uncomprehendingly at the old man in front of him. He had just woken up, and Yamamoto tended to be boring at the best of times. Now, Renji was barely able to stay awake.

He couldn't tell whether Byakuya, who was standing next to him, was awake or asleep. The man was a master at looking as though he were awake while he was actually asleep. He'd tricked Yamamoto for over fifty years, after all.

"Could you _please_ get to the point?" Captain Kyoraku asked. He looked about as awake as he usually did, which was not very. "I've got a wonderful woman to get back to."

"She's just going to make you do more paperwork," Ukitake pointed out. "You may as well just listen through the meeting without interrupting."

"Besides," Kenpachi added, grinning at Shunsui. "She's _never_ going to accept your advances."

Shunsui greeted Kenpachi's bloodthirsty grin with a look of his own. "How do you know she hasn't already?"

"She would've said something," Soi Fon said. "And _you_ would've been running around the whole Seireitei telling everyone."

"She _is_ acting odd though," Unohana murmured contemplatively.

"As though she's about to admit her feelings?" Shunsui asked hopefully.

"As though she's about to brain you with the biggest book she can find, burn all of your sake, tie you to your desk, and force you to do all of the paperwork." Soi Fon told him bluntly. "You could at least _try_ to share in the load."

"This is _boring_!" Mayuri exclaimed. "Who cares about Captain Kyoraku's love life?"

"What do _you_ suggest we talk about, _freak_?" Kenpachi sneered. "Your experiments?"

"At least that's more interesting than _this_."

"I find _this_ very interesting." Shunsui informed him. He turned back to the women. "Seriously now. She's about to tell me that she loves me, isn't she?"

"That's not _nearly_ as likely as what I suggested earlier." Soi Fon told him. Meanwhile, in the background, Kenpachi and Mayuri had gotten into another one of their fights.

"Bastard!"

"Freak!"

"Bloodthirsty lunatic!"

"Clown!"

Shunsui and Soi Fon were now arguing over whether or not Nanao was going to admit her love to him, or, whether she really had such feelings towards her captain. Unohana and Ukitake were watching with identical looks of amused annoyance. Komamura had joined in Kenpachi and Mayuri's argument, shouting about how their argument was against justice. Hitsugaya was staring at his newest present from Ukitake, looking confused and irritated.

Bored, Renji decided to see if Byakuya was awake. "Are they always like this?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper, although in the noise of the arguments around the room, nobody would have been able to hear him anyways.

"No. Usually they're worse," Byakuya replied just as softly.

"You're awake!" Renji exclaimed.

"I always wake up when they start fighting," Byakuya told him. "It's very amusing. And Head Captain Yamamoto usually gets to the point after he makes everybody shut up. Which is coming any time now."

"Silence!" Yamamoto exclaimed, banging his cane on the ground. "You are the captains of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, not some children! Act as such!"

Properly chastised, the captains fell silent, although Renji noticed that none of them looked as though they were really sorry for their actions.

_But I'm not a captain,_ Renji thought. _Am _I_ allowed to act like a child?_ He reminded himself to ask Byakuya later.

"There have been some odd Reiatsu fluctuations around a small city called St. Albert. Since the readings are nearly undecipherable, I am sending Captain Kuchiki, Vice Captain Abarai and Third Seat Kaili to investigate."

This sent a stir through the captains.

"Who's going to do the Sixth Division's work then?" Shunsui asked. From the evil glint that suddenly shone in Yamamoto's eyes, Renji had an idea that Shunsui wasn't going to like the answer.

"I have been informed by Vice Captain Ise that you don't do any of the paperwork for the Eighth Division. Since you so obviously have so much free time on your hands you will be taking over the Sixth Division paperwork for the time that they are gone."

There was a resounding 'oooh' from the captains, who were silenced by Yamamoto again.

"Any other questions?" he asked. Nobody said anything. "You are dismissed. Captain Kuchiki, Vice Captain Abarai, you will be leaving in two days time. Be ready by then."

"Yes sir," Byakuya replied. Once they were outside Renji turned to Byakuya.

"Do the captains always act like children?" he wanted to know.

"We have to have fun somehow," Shunsui replied, startling Renji.

"And Yamamoto's so boring that annoying him is the only way to get anything out of a meeting," Soi Fon agreed.

"Besides, it's fun to tease Shunsui about his failures." Kenpachi added. Shunsui scowled at him.

"You're a bastard."

"But I'm not a failure."

"You're one to talk! You don't have a partner either! You don't even have anybody in mind."

Kenpachi's gaze strayed to where Unohana and Ukitake were talking. "That's what you think."

"You don't have a chance," Soi Fon said briskly. "She hates you. And even if she didn't, she's got her eye on Ukitake."

"Everybody knows that once one of them gets up the nerve, they're going to be a couple like _that_," Shunsui agreed, snapping his fingers.

"Maybe it won't work out," Kenpachi said hopefully.

"Welcome to the life." Shunsui said. "Now my failures don't seem so funny, do they?"

"Actually, they do." Kenpachi grinned.

"You're harsh." Shunsui scowled at him. "You owe me some sake for that."

"How about we just round up as many people as we can and make somebody else pay?"

"That sounds good." Shunsui and Kenpachi walked off, calling out to random people in the street.

"Kitty!" Soi Fon exclaimed, and began chasing a stray cat down the street. Renji stared after her, and then over at Byakuya.

"You're all crazy." He said bluntly. Byakuya gave him a rare smile.

"It's more interesting that way."

Renji grinned, pulling Byakuya into a hug, and breathing in his scent- a combination of sakura and steel. With anybody else it would have been weird, but it suited Byakuya perfectly.

**In case you're wondering/confused/don't know, the setting of the mission is St. Albert. If you don't know where St. Albert is, allow me to give you a little geography lesson. **

**Hopefully, you all know where Canada is. Now in Canada there are ten provinces and three territories. One of these ten provinces is Alberta- where all of the oil comes from. The capital city of Alberta is Edmonton- where West Edmonton Mall is, and right beside Edmonton is a little city called St. Albert. It's not very big, and nobody really ever hears about it because it doesn't have anything touristy, like Banff or Edmonton, or any big economic/environmental concerns, like the oil sands. However, it's there, and it's quite a nice place.**

**So, the majority of this story is set in St. Albert. Why? Because my favorite LA teacher once said to me 'write about what you know', and since she's amazing, I'm following her advice. So yeah… Look it up. It has a pretty city hall.**

**Also, to clear some things up, I don't have very many preferences over who's better with Unohana- Ukitake or Kenpachi. You can decide who gets the girl since it isn't really relevant to the plot.**

**Until the next chapter,**

**-Stormy**


	2. Staples, cars and needed sleep

**Well, daily updates are continuing... for now. Not quite sure how good I'll do when school starts though...**

**If I owned Bleach, there would be an episode devoted to the Shinigami figuring out how things like remotes, lightswitches, alarm systems, and other human world gadgets work. If I owned Staples, I would own all of those pens. And that would be awesome. I like pens.**

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><p>Renji looked up when Byakuya entered the hotel room, looking pleased with himself.<p>

"You can drive now?" Renji asked, fiddling with the remote. Byakuya dropped onto the bed beside him.

"Of course."

"Huh. How the hell does this thing work?" Renji glared at the remote, considering throwing the stupid thing across the room. Byakuya gently pulled it out of his hand and placed it on the side table.

"Where's Kaili?" he asked.

"Here!" Kaili poked her head out from under the bed and waved cheerfully at Byakuya. The small man waved back.

"Can I go for a ride in the car?" Kaili scrambled out from under the bed and scrambled onto Byakuya's lap.

"You're going to have to," Byakuya replied, pulling to sheets of paper from a pocket and holding them out to Renji, who took them apprehensively.

"What's this?"

"School supplies," Byakuya sighed.

"… Huh?"

"We have to buy them before you two go to school tomorrow."

"Well that's short notice."

"I know." Byakuya lifted Kaili off of his lap and set her gently on the floor, before standing up himself and offering a hand to Renji, who was still sprawled on the bed. "Come on."

"Now?" Renji asked.

"When else?"

Byakuya _could_ drive, and he was fairly good at it too, although Renji had to force himself not to wince every time another car came at them. Kaili didn't seem to like it at all- she sat in the back seat with her eyes squeezed shut, whimpering softly.

When they reached their destination- some big store called 'Staples' Kaili had decided that cars were 'monsters', and she never, ever wanted to be near one ever again. Ever. And then she wanted a piggyback ride, which Renji gave gladly. After all, she was going to have to ride in the 'monster' again that day, and the day after, and the day after…

The piggyback didn't last very long though. After Kaili caught sight of the metal shopping carts, she wanted to ride in one. And so, with Kaili happily settled in the cart, they started the worst adventure of their lives.

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><p>If anybody had told Byakuya two years earlier that he would be 'school supplies shopping' with a little girl and Renji, he would've given them the Look. And then, later when he was alone, he would have laughed until he cried. However, here he was, and he was very confused. He didn't know what half of the things on the lists were, and even if he had, he wouldn't have had the slightest idea of where to find them.<p>

"Scientific calculator," Renji read out, and the two of them exchanged a puzzled glance. "A calculator?" Renji muttered. "Like a person who does all of the thinking for you? That would be neat, but not very efficient."

"So it would seem," Byakuya agreed, looking around. "There should be a sign somewhere around here in any case."

It was how they'd managed to find everything else. They'd just looked for the signs, and then picked what seemed close enough to what the paper said. It seemed to be working, as they had found everything.

"Calculators, calculators, calcu- found them!" Renji pointed, and Byakuya followed him to the aisle. "They're not people after all," Renji pointed out softly. "Just little boxy things."

"Just put it in the cart," Byakuya sighed, rubbing his forehead, and resisting the urge to lean against Renji and bury his face in his shoulder. He wasn't an expert, but he had a feeling that that wasn't a particularly 'fatherly' thing to do. After all, Renji and Kaili were supposed to be his children. And normally, a father didn't depend on his children for comfort… right? Maybe? Who was he kidding? He had absolutely no clue what fathers were and were not supposed to do. So instead he fell back on the rules established for him over a hundred years before. The image of a Kuchiki. He had to admit, it did have some advantages, although he had never thought that he'd been using it to pull through school supplies shopping, of all things.

"Anything else?" he asked. He'd have plenty of time to collapse later, when they were out of sight. For now he would be a Kuchiki. It hurt a bit, but he had learned to tolerate the pain.

Renji smiled at him, as though he knew what was on his mind, and Byakuya felt a small smile creep up over his lips in response. Renji helped. Renji had made _everything_ better.

"Nope," Renji replied cheerfully.

"Uh uh." Kaili agreed, fiddling with a box of pens. Byakuya sighed.

"Let's go back then."

The trip back to the hotel was slightly better than the trip to Staples. It was still nothing less than painful though. Kaili was terrified of the cars, and Byakuya couldn't blame her. He didn't really like them either. If there had been a better way to get around, he would have taken it gladly. However, there was really nothing else, so they'd stick with this.

The evening was spent figuring out how to work the TV remote, carefully preparing Kaili and Renji's school supplies, and telling Kaili bed time stories until she fell asleep.

Gently, Byakuya settled Kaili in bed, watching with a small smile as she curled up into a small ball and snuggled into the mattress. Renji came up behind him and wrapped both arms around his waist. Byakuya tilted his head back so that he could look up at Renji.

"How much do you want to bet that she'll wake up around midnight with car related nightmares?" Renji asked.

"No bets," Byakuya replied softly. "It's a certainty."

"Wonderful…" Renji sighed. "I suppose we should just get as much sleep as possible now."

"Mm hm." Byakuya shut his eyes for a moment, content. Renji slid one arm under his knees, and scooped him up bridal style, and Byakuya opened his eyes to look at him lazily. "I _can_ walk on my own."

"I know. But 'can' doesn't automatically translate into 'have to'," Renji retorted, dropping Byakuya onto the bed, and crawling in beside him. "You have me."

"I do." Byakuya agreed, shutting his eyes again, only to open them again two hours later when Kaili crawled up in between him and Renji. Noticing his questioning look she tilted her chin up defiantly.

"I don't like cars."

"I can't blame you."

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><p><strong>Crappy endings are crap. But it's the best you're getting. I have to go back to school tomorrow. Ew.<strong>

**Anyways, this is devoted to all you who have suffered through school supplies shopping, in which you are dragged through endless rows of pens, paper, binders, and other school necessities, and _every where you look_ things remind you of the dreaded prison called school.**

**Or, if you actually _like_ school supplies shopping this is devoted to you also. Why? Because I love everybody except for creeps, homophobes, and the math teacher I had last year. Thank anybody and everybody who may or may not be listening that I never get him again.**

**-Stormy**


	3. School, snobs, and more scary cars

**None of the names of the teachers, administrative staff, and secretaries in any of these chapters is accurate. As far as I know, there is no secretary named Mary Rost at SAM School. Same goes with everybody else. Some of the characters **_**are**_** based off of some of my favourite teachers, and some of them are completely fictional. You'll **_**never**_** know which is which though. XD**

**If I owned Bleach I'd be a genius. Since I'm not, I obviously don't own Bleach.**

* * *

><p>The next morning, Byakuya drove a very sleepy Renji to his school- a high school called 'Bellerose' (<strong>Its full name is Bellerose Composite High School, but that's too long<strong>). Renji stumbled out of the car, barely awake, gave Kaili a quick kiss on the forehead, waved to Byakuya- since apparently it was 'uncool' to show any affection to your 'parents', and staggered to his new school.

Normally Kaili would have been scared of the car, but normally she wasn't nearly asleep. She didn't even seem to notice the way that the world rushed by at a terrifying speed. Byakuya noticed it, however, and he felt his stomach clench. A day wasn't even close to enough time to figure out how to work the hunk of metal that he was currently sitting in. He was beginning to doubt that _any_ amount of time would ever be enough.

After a hellish drive from one end of the city to the other, they finally reached Kaili's elementary school- Sir Alexander Mackenzie School, or, as it had been dubbed by everybody living in St. Albert, SAM School. He turned off the engine watched the brick building in front of him for a few minutes, tempted to go to sleep just sitting there. After checking his watch, which had taken _forever_ to figure out how to work, he leaned back. They still had over half an hour before school started. They didn't need to get there that early.

Kaili crawled into the front seat to curl up on his lap.

"I don't wanna go." She told him softly. "I wanna go back to the Seireitei."

"So do I," Byakuya replied, just as quietly. Gently, he stroked her soft red hair, and wrapped an arm around her small frame. "We will the second we finish here."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"So I hafta go?"

"Yes."

"Then can we go in now?"

Byakuya watched her carefully for a moment, and then asked, "You don't want to get there while all of the other children are arriving?"

"Uh uh." Kaili shook her head vigorously, and Byakuya smiled.

"Come on, let's go in."

When the two of them walked through the doors of the front office, all of the secretaries immediately stopped what they were doing and stared at them. There was a moment of stunned silence, in which the secretaries all seemed to be in shock. Kaili automatically held on tighter to Byakuya's hand, and took a step behind him, turned shy suddenly by the attention. Like most children, she was talkative around people she knew, or small groups, but the moment more than two or three strange adults focused their attention on or near her, she went silent.

And then one of the secretaries leaned over the edge of the desk and gave her a kind smile. "Are you Kaili?"

Kaili nodded shyly, and Byakuya gently steered her out in front of him. The other secretary blinked, and then went back to furiously typing on her computer. The secretary who had addressed Kaili waddled out from behind the desk, and greeted Byakuya with an extended hand.

"I'm Mary Rost," she introduced herself. After a slight hesitation Byakuya took the offered hand.

"Byakuya Kuchiki. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Mary looked slightly surprised, but recovered quickly. "Are you excited for your first day here Kaili?" she asked, and Kaili shook her head quickly.

"Uh uh."

"I'm sure you'll have fun."

Kaili just shrugged.

"Do you want to come meet your teacher now?" Mary asked, and Kaili glanced back at Byakuya, tightening her hold on his hand. With a soft sigh, Byakuya lifted the backpack again, and the two of them followed Mary down the hallways. She talked as she walked. "You're going to be in Mrs. Grant's class. It's a very nice class, I'm sure you'll like it."

Kaili shrugged again, and Mary held the door to her new classroom open for her.

"Just in here."

* * *

><p>Mrs. Grant watched Kaili say good bye to her father. She had gotten used to this type of thing, but the way the two of them interacted was unlike any she had ever seen before. The man had leaned down so that he was near Kaili's level, and was speaking softly to her. She could only make out, "Third seat, sixth division, and Thirteen Court Guard Squads," whatever <em>that<em> meant. There were no tears, no big encouraging smiles, but whatever Byakuya had said, Kaili straightened, and tilted her chin up. Mrs. Grant watched as Kaili gave her father a quick hug, and then he left without looking back once.

"I'm sure that you'll get along very well with the class," Mrs Grant assured Kaili. "It's a very good class." Kaili just shrugged, and began to write along the edge of her notebook. Mrs. Grant left her to her own devices. After all, it was the first time that the small girl had smiled all morning, except for that brief instant when she was talking to her dad.

* * *

><p>Kaili was carefully solving an algebra problem when a shadow darkened her paper.<p>

"Who're _you_?" a little girl asked snobbishly. Kaili looked up at her, decided that she didn't like her, and went back to her math equation.

"Kaili."

"I'm Annica. With _two_ Ns and a C. My friends call me Anne." Annica paused, as though expecting some type of response.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Annica," Kaili lied, smirking a little at Annica's obvious outrage. She had long experience with that trick. It had been used often at the academy. Somebody would introduce themselves and then say my friends call me… Then, when somebody called them by their nickname, they would say 'but you're not my friend'. Obviously, Annica wasn't too happy at being denied her vicious pleasures.

"You talk like an adult," she said instead.

"Byakuya taught me to be polite," Kaili replied easily. And it was true. Although Byakuya wasn't too strict, he couldn't stand impoliteness of any form.

"Who's Bya- whatever?"

"It's Byakuya. He's my father." And it was true. Kaili really did think of Byakuya as her dad. Maybe he wasn't her blood father, but he did a better job at it than whoever was her real dad.

"Then why don't you just call him Dad?"

_Because I have two dads and it gets confusing,_ Kaili wanted to say, but she wasn't supposed to. Yamamoto had been very strict about that point. Apparently some humans weren't tolerant of people who loved those of the same gender. Kaili didn't get it, love was love no matter what, but she had to do what Captain Yamamoto said. "Because I call him Byakuya." She said instead, sounding more patient than she really felt. Tired of Annica's talk, Kaili continued with her math problem. Apparently Annica didn't like being ignored, however.

"What do you call your mom then?"

"I don't call her anything."

"Why not?"

"She's dead." In Kaili's experience, blunt answers to questions like that usually stopped the questioner in their tracks. However, usually the questioner wasn't an insensitive eight year old.

"Oh." There was a brief pause, but it wasn't _nearly _long enough.

"What's that?" Annica demanded, pointing to Kaili's paper.

"Math."

"No it isn't! Math doesn't have letters!"

"This kind does." Kaili finished the equation, checked it over, and then went to the next one out of a list that Byakuya had given to her. She liked these equations. No matter what, the answer was either right or wrong. There was no 'almost' about it.

"No kind of math has letters, stupid."

Kaili shrugged, allowing the insult to slide off of her. Unfortunately for Annica, Mrs. Grant heard, and she was over there in seconds. It was almost as though she had shunpo, Kaili reflected. She was certain that even Byakuya couldn't move that fast.

"Annica!" Mrs. Grant reprimanded. "You can't speak to your classmates like that!"

"But it's true!" Annica whined. "She _is_ stupid. She's trying to do math with letters!" Annica gave Mrs. Grant an angelic smile, waiting for praise that never came. Instead, Mrs. Grant took the paper from Kaili, her eyes widening as she studied it.

"Where did you learn this?" she asked, sounding shocked.

"At my old school," Kaili replied honestly. "I was put with all of the older kids. They weren't very nice though, and it was no fun so Byakuya pulled me out of the school. He said that it wasn't fair to expect an eight year old to fit in with teenagers." She smiled a bit. Byakuya had said that, although he hadn't known that she'd been listening at the time. "He wasn't happy."

"So then you came here?" Mrs. Grant asked. Kaili shook her head.

"Uh uh. I was homeschooled for a bit, but that was lonely, and Byakuya had a lot of work and Renji had school."

Mrs. Grant nodded slowly. "Alright." She said softly. "We'll talk to your dad later. I don't want you to be bored."

Kaili shrugged. "Okay." She had a feeling that Byakuya wasn't going to like that.

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><p><strong>Agh! More crappy endings! But I can't end it any better way so… Sorry =(<strong>

**Next chapter is going to be Renji's first day of school, and Byakuya and Mrs. Grant's conversation.**

**Daily updates are probably not going to happen, but I'm going to keep trying XD**

**I suppose the first day of school wasn't so bad… But I have my two least favourite people in my class, and in Science one of them sits beside me D= The first thing that she said when she sat down beside me was 'I hope you don't mind if I copy off of you'. Of course I mind! Bitch.**

**Anyways, I know that nobody really cares too much about that, but I gotta rant somewhere.**

**Until the next chapter**

**-Stormy**


	4. Highschool, lunch, and groups of friends

**I just realized that I forgot to say happy birthday to Renji yesterday *sobs***

**I'm sorry Renji, I love you! Happy belated birthday!**

**Anyways, I don't own Bleach, or any of the multiple references below. And there are many.**

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><p>Walking into high school was almost like walking into a whole new world. Bellerose wasn't anything like he'd seen before. Sure, he'd been to Ichigo's school, but that had been different. There were way more people here, for one, and of so many different ethnicities that Renji couldn't even <em>begin<em> to count them all. Suddenly feeling very disoriented, Renji paused for a moment, trying to regain his bearings.

After a moment of dizzying confusion, Renji noticed one thing. All of the students were staring at him. He was used to _that_ too, in the human world, but it was normally because he was dressed weird, or because he was with Yumichika, Ikkaku or Rangiku, or, more likely, all three of them. Being stared at when he wasn't, to his knowledge, doing anything out of the ordinary, was an experience that he didn't want to repeat. Quickly he escaped into the office, where a kind looking woman looked up and smiled at him.

"I'm Renji," he started, almost saying Abarai, but then catching himself. "Kuchiki." It sounded strange, coming out of his mouth, but oddly appealing. Renji Kuchiki. He could live with it.

"Yes," the woman smiled. "Here's your schedule," she handed a sheet of paper to him, and he stared at it. The schedule was even more confusing than the school. "Bradley volunteered to show you around the school, so your schedule is the exact same as his. He should be here soon."

"Alright," Renji agreed. He leaned against the wall and shut his eyes. He was sure that he couldn't sleep with perfect posture, like Byakuya could, but he had fallen asleep leaning against things enough to know that he was pretty good at it. The only setback was that everybody knew that he was asleep. Too soon Bradley showed up, and upon looking into the other boy's eyes- they were both the same height, Renji knew one thing for sure. Bradley hated him. And he hated Bradley.

This made the rest of the day a living hell. Bradley was smart, and he thought that he was better than everybody else. By lunchtime, the two of them had exchanged harsh words more than once, and Renji refused to sit by him, and instead looked for the nicest looking people that he could find. They happened to be a fairly large group of people at a table. They were all laughing, and none of them were wearing skinny jeans. Actually, only two of them were wearing jeans at all, and those happened to be baggy, worn, and definitely _not_ acid washed.

After the morning, Renji had learned that the girls were basically ranked by how tight their jeans were- the tighter the better, and the boys were ranked by how 'tough' they were. Almost everybody wore jeans or too short skirts, and it made absolutely no sense! How was it comfortable? Some of the girls looked as though they wouldn't be able to feel their feet at the end of the day. That was probably why they were so mean. Their legs hurt.

Renji had never been shy, but he felt a sort of reluctance to approach the group. They seemed tight, as though they had all known each other since elementary, and outsiders rarely fit into groups like that. Still, his group was like that, and they let outsiders in all the time, although… the outsiders always had to buy them all drinks. It would never hurt to try, however, and Renji approached the group warily.

Before he could open his mouth to speak, there was a shout from the table.

"Hey, it's the new guy!" this was said by an aboriginal girl with long black hair and tanned skin.

"Come, sit," called another girl, this one wearing a hat with GRYFFINDOR written across it in large letters. There was some shuffling, and as if by magic, a seat opened up for him in between the girl with the GRYFFINDOR hat and another girl with short, spiky brown hair and shirt that said 'the many moods of Spock' on it. Underneath were a whole bunch of pictures of the same person, with the exact same expression. Renji didn't get it, but then, he didn't get the things on most of the T-shirts worn by the members of the group.

"I'm Gwen," the girl with the GRYFFINDOR hat said.

"I'm Renji," Renji replied, startled by the enthusiastic group. Soon introductions rang out through the group, and Renji had troubles keeping them straight.

"Jess," the aboriginal girl called, raising a hand in greeting.

Brady was a with green hair. Beside him was Sean, who had black hair with hot pink bangs. Both boys wore shirts that said Portal on them, whatever that meant. Bren was the girl next to him. Beside her were Mel and Tara. The three of them seemed to be debating something of significant importance, but all that Renji caught was 'well _obviously_ Tris pwns all. She can manipulate the weather! It doesn't get any more kickass than _that_!" and 'she can ride around on cyclones! There's no _way_ that she'd ever be beat by anybody. Ever.' It was all over Renji's head, and he zoned out.

"Nate's the one with the Beiber hair," Bren told him, tearing her attention away from the argument long enough to point this out.

"I _don't_ have Beiber hair!" Nate protested. "It's called _surfer_ hair."

"We're not anywhere near an ocean dumbass," Gwen replied.

"It's Beiber hair," Tara agreed.

"Yeah." Mel added. "Remember the little seveners who thought you were Justin Beiber when we were in grade nine? That was the _best_."

"That was _funny_," an energetic little girl named Chrys added.

"I missed it," an even smaller, slightly less energetic girl named Grace whined. "You should've filmed it!"

"Dude," a boy named Noah interupted. "It's fucking Beiber hair. If you don't like it, get a haircut!"

"And stop whining," the girl sitting next to Noah- her name was Ash, added.

"You're so _mean_ to me," Nate complained.

"You're a jerk." Bren replied.

"I am _not_ a jerk!"

"You groped me!" Bren retorted.

"And me!" Tara added.

"In my defence, my eyes were _shut_."

"You stole my lunch!" a boy named Seb complained.

"I was hungry."

"You nearly broke my leg!" Gwen pointed out.

"That was an _accident_!"

Others added their complaints, and Nate wisely shut up. Renji watched all this with growing amusement. He was right. They were tight. And some of these incidents _did_ date back to elementary school.

* * *

><p><strong>The group of friends was based off of my group at school but all of the names have been changed. Prizes if you can figure out what Bren, Tara and Mel were arguing about. Extra prizes if you can guess which one is me... What are the prizes? Anything within reason. Obviously I can't give you your own little Toshiro who will do whatever you ask of him. However, I can write a commission, poem, dedicate a chapter to you, etc. You choose XD<strong>

**Love and hugs,**

**-Stormy**

**PS I know that I said that Byakuya's talk with the teacher would happen this chapter but... I think my brain may explode sometime soon. So it's next chapter.**


	5. Stares, confusion, and instant changes

**Well... This probably would have been up an hour sooner but my computer was glitzing out... Stupid thing...**

**I'm _so_ tired... I can't believe I actually managed to stay awake all day, although that might have something to do with the fact that we had double LA and double SS XD My two favorite classes! My SS teacher is the _best_. She's amazing.**

**But unfortunately for me, I'm the 'good' kid, so I'm now sitting next to the bitchy copier from science class in SS too. Gah! Give me a _break_! Just because I don't talk in class doesn't mean that putting me next to the school bitch is a good idea! And I can't ask for her to be moved because wherever she sits she talks, and I feel kinda bad for my SS teacher because she is fighting a losing battle with her class. I mean, there's like three good kids! But I may end up strangling Miss Bitch before the end of the year anyways... I can't believe that I didn't last year when she wrote all over my LA homework when she was supposed to be marking it. Any deity who may or may not be listening, please, please, _please_ get rid of her in any way possible. I never want to see her again!**

**... Yeah, rant over.**

**... **

**O_o**

** Anyways, if I owned Bleach, all of the characters would brutally murder Miss 'Bitchy Copier Bitch'. Over and over and over. That would be the best show _ever_.**

* * *

><p>Byakuya arrived at Kaili's school early, so he just leaned against a wall, fiddling with his Soul Pager. Slowly parents began to filter into the school yard. All of the women stared at him, and Byakuya shifted uncomfortably. What were they staring at him for? He didn't understand! It wasn't as though he looked odd, was it? He didn't stand out… Well, he didn't think he stood out, anyways.<p>

Maybe it was the hair. He had noticed that most men here didn't have long hair. But that wasn't something to stare at him about, was it? Unless they couldn't figure out whether he was female or male. That would be… embarrassing, to say the least.

No, he was sure that the last time he had checked he looked male. Then what was it? Why were they staring at him like that? Was it _really_ the hair? Because it shouldn't have been _that_ strange. Right?

* * *

><p>Janice, Annica's mother, stared at the new man with longing eyes. He was gorgeous; there was no doubt about it. His hair was long and silky, and pulled away from his face in a simple ponytail. His skin was pale, like milk, and his eyes were a perfect, smoky gray. His fingers- absent of any rings- were long and graceful. He was playing with a cell phone absentmindedly, and Janice admired the way he spun it in his hands, before flipping the lid shut, and sliding it into a pocket. She watched him wait, and wondered who he was waiting for. If he had a daughter, then maybe she and Annica could become friends, and Janice would have an excuse to invite him over. Oh, she hoped he had a daughter.<p>

* * *

><p>If Mrs. Grant hadn't been happily married with two little children, she might have been one of the women staring at Byakuya Kuchiki. However, she had a wonderful husband, and little Adam and Jamie, who were the treasure of her existence. Besides, she wasn't the type of woman to be swayed just by a man's looks.<p>

She watched, amused, as Kaili ran to her father and gave him a hug. Then she held up her arms, speaking quickly. Byakuya scooped her up as though she weighed nothing, and balanced her on one hip easily. This was impressive. All though Kaili was small, she was still eight, and far past carrying age. But Byakuya held her as though she were as light as a feather. That took strength.

* * *

><p>Kaili rested her chin on Byakuya's shoulder, and wrapped both arms around his neck. She hadn't really liked class, and although she had liked Mrs. Grant a lot, the rest of the students scared her a bit, and Annica annoyed her. But now she knew that everything was alright, because Byakuya was there.<p>

"Did you have a good day?" he asked softly, supporting her with one arm, and shoving his other hand into his pocket.

"Sorta." She replied. Usually parents would nag about this, asking what was wrong, and if there was anything that they could do to help. Byakuya just stayed silent, waiting. He knew that she would speak eventually. And she did. "That's Annica," she said, pointing. "I don't like her. She's mean, and annoying. She doesn't know what algebra is."

"… I have a feeling that most of the children in your class don't know what algebra is." Byakuya told her, and Kaili could see his barely held back smile.

"But they're open to accepting that there are things that they don't know. She thinks she knows everything, but she actually doesn't know anything. And Mrs. Grant wants to talk to you." Kaili turned her head a bit, so that she could see his face better, and watched a small smirk quickly cross his lips.

"You didn't kill anybody, did you?"

"No!"

"Not even Annica?"

"No." Kaili sighed. "I think that's illegal."

"Shame."

Kaili giggled. "Uh huh."

"Well I suppose I should go talk to Mrs. Grant now, shouldn't I?"

"She's really nice."

"Good."

* * *

><p>Janice watched the new man and the little girl. Yes! He did have a daughter! She turned to Annica.<p>

"Who's the new girl?"

"That's Kaili. I don't like her. She's stupid. She thinks that math has letters."

"… Oh." Well there went her dreams.

* * *

><p>Mrs. Grant watched Byakuya, looking for any sign that he was truly human. He only showed warmth when he was speaking to his daughter, but when his attention was focused on something else, like right now, he was an unreadable ice prince. Even if she were given a thousand years, she doubted that she would <em>ever<em> be able to find out what went on behind those steel gray eyes.

She understood not smiling much. She herself didn't smile very much, but he was taking it to the extreme. Although she didn't smile, she was still open. He was as closed as a locked box, and the key seemed to be lost. Until…

Kaili tugged on Byakuya's sleeve, and he looked down at her. Instantly, the icy mask melted away, revealing a kind man with a nice smile. He looked years younger when he smiled, less like a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders and more like a father. Kaili asked him something quickly, holding a piece of paper out towards him, and he took it, wrote an equation on it in quick, precise writing, and returned it to her. Then, when he turned away, the mask was back again, and once again he looked older than his years, tired, and drained of all humanity. The switch was instant, there was no in between. It was like he'd had hundreds of years of practice.

"I don't want Kaili to be bored," she told him, glancing over at the young girl. She was solving the equation as though it were as easy as 2+2.

"She won't be." There was authority in his voice different from any she had ever heard. It was only hinted at, but Mrs. Grant had the feeling that if he wanted to, he could have anybody jump to obey his orders. He seemed to notice her confused look, because he went on. "She hasn't really had experience with children her age before," he explained. "She's confused. Math only has one right answer, but with people there are no answers, only questions. She'll be too busy trying to figure out where she fits in to be bored with schoolwork. If I wanted her to be immersed in work, she would be in a high class, and she'd end up old before she turned twenty."

Was that what happened to him? Mrs. Grant wondered. That would explain why he didn't want Kaili to have her child hood brutally torn from her with a bitter machine of work and stern faces. And that would also explain the way his eyes looked as though they were hundreds of years old while his body still looked like he was in his mid to late thirties.

"Alright," Mrs. Grant agreed. "But if she gets bored?" this last question was directed at Byakuya, but he looked down at Kaili.

"If you get bored?" he asked her, gentleness lacing his voice.

"I won't." Kaili replied with certainty.

There was no way that Mrs. Grant could argue with the steel in the small girl's voice.

* * *

><p><strong>... Yeah. I won't be surprised if this doesn't make any sense. I'll probably read it in the morning and wonder where my brain went... I think I left it in bed this morning. Either that or it got tired of math calculations and ran away. So if anybody's seen my mind, maybe return it? I'm having troubles living without it...<strong>

**I want my bed! My nice, warm, comfy bed.**

**Yeah, okay, bedtime.**

**-Stormy**


	6. Blood, bankai and invisible opponents

**Just as a quick heads up, I may not be able to update tomorrow, because I'll be going to an all day concert =) If I get the chance, I will, but most likely it won't happen… Sorry…**

**Anyways, I'm being really mean to the characters this chapter. Why? Well I was woken up at 8 in the morning by loud, insistent hammering in the basement. Then I was dragged to get a blood test at nine, and one of those heart thingy madooeys that have some kind of cool technical name that I can't remember at the moment. btw, _never_ pass out in a doctor's office. She/he will then send you off to get some tests done which involve you stripping in front of a complete stranger, getting needles jammed into your arms, and having stickers stuck to your chest and legs which really _hurt_ when they're pulled off. Yeah... Not fun. So, just don't do that.**

**And then I had two cups of coffee, was hyper for about... an hour and made a really pretty sparkly bracelet. Don't give Stormy coffee. It's a _bad _idea.**

**On an up side, I finally got my Ipod speakers to work XD I have to hold it in a specific spot, and if I move it even a little it turns off, but I solved that problem by propping it up with a kleenex box and a binder.**

**Yeah... If I owned Bleach, there would be depressingly angsty parts where people are maimed and seriously injured and the good guys lose, and then there would be light, fluffy parts where nothing ever happened. No in between. So be glad that Tite Kubo owns Bleach and not me.**

* * *

><p>Byakuya stood over top of Sturgeon Hospital, staring across at the city. From up here the whole place was a sprawling mess of roads punctuated by square buildings. Behind him lay Erin Ridge, in front of him was a long street of stores, with everything from London Drugs to Chapters to Rona. To his right were several restaurants, and on his left were more houses and a long road. In the distance he could just barely see the small, outdated fire station. Until St. Albert grew from a town to a small city, there had only been one fire station. Now there was a new one over by Lacombe park, and the little old one just squatted in its awkward position at the bottom of the hill, barely used.<p>

Byakuya turned slowly, surveying the landscape, searching for any unusual reiatsu. It had been a week since they had arrived at St. Albert, and still he hadn't found anything out of the ordinary. Sure, there had been the odd hollow, but nothing that warranted sending a Captain, a Vice Captain, and a Third Seat out to investigate. Either the Twelfth Division's equipment was faulty, or this was one sneaky… whatever it was. And somehow the first didn't seem very likely. The equipment had never been faulty before.

A flicker of something caught his attention, and he spun around, stormy eyes searching for something that stayed out of his sight. He could feel it; it was close and coming closer. But why couldn't he see it? Sharp pain ripped through his shoulder, and Byakuya stumbled out of the way in time to avoid having his arm cut completely off, swearing under his breath.

Dark laughter rang through the air, surrounding him. Byakuya stood perfectly still, straining to figure out which direction the laughter was coming from. The soft hiss of air parting in the path of metal alerted him to a second stroke and he dodged the attack, lashing out with Senbonzakura. His sword met nothing but air.

"Confused, little Shinigami?" asked a light voice. The words dripped with venom, and echoed around him, giving him no way to tell where it came from. "Don't worry. Soon enough you won't feel anything at all." Byakuya gritted his teeth, and didn't answer. Instead he waited for the next attack. It came with alarming speed, but he was ready this time. He ducked and thrust Senbonzakura out towards the air where the attack had come. His sword was met with the resistance of flesh, and he dragged it sideways, noticing with satisfaction the blood that dripped from the wound. Now he knew where his opponent was. Quickly, before his trail could disappear again, he slashed at the air again, roughly in the same spot that the other wound was. His opponent dodged backwards, and there was the sound of cloth tearing, but his sword didn't meet flesh.

Again, there was the whoosh of a blade coming towards his back, and again he dodged it, and tried for the wielder. He missed.

"Dammit," Byakuya hissed. It was nearly impossible to fight while the opponent stayed invisible. At this rate, he would dead long before he'd even done some serious damage. There were only two options left. Strategic retreat, which wasn't his style and…

Byakuya dodged the next attack, and dropped his sword blade first towards the ground. It sank into the air, ripples flowing out from where it had hit. "Bankai," he said, not even bothering with Shikai. He knew that he needed more than that. "Scatter. Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

* * *

><p>Renji was dozing off in Math 10-C- he already knew it all anyways- when a sudden burst of strange reiatsu jolted him awake. He sat up straight and glanced towards the window, wondering if he ought to make a run for it and intercept the owner of the reiatsu. The spike in Byakuya's reiatsu made his mind up though, his captain already had it in control. Renji waited for the strange reiatsu to disappear, but it didn't.<p>

The teacher asked him a question, and he glanced at the board and answered it quickly, his mind still on carefully monitoring the fight between Byakuya and his unknown opponent. Suddenly, Byakuya's reiatsu spiked, and Renji's eyes widened. Bankai.

_Byakuya, what are you __**doing**_?

* * *

><p>Kaili stared blankly at Mrs. Grant as she went on about nouns and verbs, not really paying attention. She already knew it all anyways. The sudden appearance of a strange reiatsu made her start in her chair, and turn her head towards the window. Was this what they were sent here to take care of? If it was, then she should probably leave and go fight it. She was just getting ready to ask permission to go to the washroom, when she felt Byakuya's reiatsu and relaxed again. He would take care of it. She couldn't imagine Byakuya <em>ever<em> losing, not even to something as strong as this seemed.

She was just zoning out again when she felt the sudden spike of Byakuya's reiatsu, and sat up even straighter in her chair. Bankai? What was he _thinking_?

* * *

><p>The row of giant blades surrounding him burst into thousands of millions of little tiny blades which glinted pink in the light. Another attack came, and Byakuya blocked it with some of the little blades and allowed all the others to attack the seemingly empty space in front of him. Crimson drops of blood told him that he had hit his target.<p>

This was better. An attack came from the back, and he blocked it and allowed Senbonzakura to pierce his opponent's flesh with his shimmering pink blades.

"Hmm," again with that echoing voice, that seemed to come from everywhere. "You're better than I thought, little Shinigami. That was fun. Let's do it again sometime…" and the voice faded away, along with the reiatsu.

Byakuya's body sagged, and Senbonzakura returned to its original form, resting gently in his hand. He sheathed the blade, and pressed a hand against the deep wound in his shoulder. The blood loss was beginning to make him dizzy. Stumbling a little, he turned and headed back to the hotel.

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah... If I don't update tomorrow, don't kill me please! I'll try, but it's highly unlikely.<strong>

**I'm extremely bored and lonely right now... Somebody, _please_, talk to me! PM me and tell me a funny story or something. Or just PM me. All of my friends are gone for the long weekend and my little sister's being a little brat. Entertain me!**

**... Or not. Your choice.**

**-Stormy**


	7. Injuries, worry and not so empty threats

**I'm _back_! Sorry for missing yesterday, but it couldn't be helped.**

**Sonic Boom was mildly traumitizing, but over all, pretty damn _amazing_! I nearly got trampled a couple of times, but that's what happens when you get stuck in a crowd of _really_ tall, _really _drunk people. I got to see Metric live, which I've been wanting to do for _years,_ and I saw Joy Formidable too, which was a plus. There were a whole bunch of other bands, and to describe the whole thing in one word, I'll just say WOW! The venue wasn't too great, but other than that...**

**Anyways, if I owned Bleach, there would be a whole bunch more hugs. I like hugs.**

* * *

><p>Renji bit his lip as he felt Byakuya's reiatsu falter and then drop rapidly. It was barely there, and fading fast. His mind was scrambling, and he was struggling to find some excuse that would get him out of the classroom as soon as possible. There was still nearly an hour left of the class, and he needed out <em>now<em>.

"Renji?" the teacher asked. "Are you alright? You look pale." There. The excuse he was looking for.

"I- I think I need to leave," he replied, trying to sound as weak as possible. She nodded.

"Go ahead."

Once Renji was out of the classroom, he sprinted for the nearest washroom, and ducked into one of the stalls. Quickly he slid a band off of his wrist, and scowled as he felt his body return to spirit form. It really was an ingenious invention by the Twelfth Division, although Renji didn't particularly like the moment when his body wasn't solid, but it wasn't quite in spirit form yet either.

Shoving the wristband into a pocket, Renji returned to the hotel as fast as he possibly could. He was fairly certain that his shunpo had gotten at least twice as fast in the five minutes it took him to get to the other side of St. Albert. Surely he hadn't been that fast when he'd been practicing back at the Seireitei.

With a sharp leap, Renji jumped through the window of their hotel room, and stumbled to a stop, panting softly. Byakuya was lying on the floor, blood coating his left side. He was still breathing, but each breath was short and shallow. His eyes flickered open when Renji carefully lifted him off of the ground, but it seemed to take too much energy to keep them open, and they slid shut again.

Renji gently set Byakuya on the bed, and carefully pulled the top of his robes off of him. Cautiously, he wiped the blood off of Byakuya's pale skin and gasped at the wound spreading over his left shoulder and back. It looked as though something with huge claws had been trying to take his arm off. Four deep gashes slashed across his shoulder- three continuing down his back, and another slicing into his arm. Quickly, Renji grabbed the standard medical kit that all Thirteen Court Guard Squad members had to carry with them when they went out on missions. He started to stitch the deepest of the cuts, and Byakuya gasped in pain, and leaned away from him. Renji pulled him back.

"If you keep doing that I'll call Unohana," he warned, and Byakuya stilled instantly. Renji grinned. Although Unohana scared _everybody_, Byakuya was the only person with a legitimate reason to be scared of her. She knew a lot about him, and wasn't averse to stooping to blackmail. Besides, from what Renji had heard, Byakuya and her had not been on the best terms when they were younger.

Trying as hard as he could not to cause Byakuya any more pain than was necessary, Renji stitched up all of the gashes, and then glanced at the time. He still had an hour before he had to go pick Kaili up from school, although since he couldn't drive they'd have to take a chance and risk switching between spirit form and solid form. But since Byakuya was in no condition to stand, let alone drive, that's what they'd have to do.

* * *

><p>Kaili fidgeted in her seat, wanting more than anything to get up and run out of the classroom. But it was far harder to skip out of class in elementary school than it was in high school, and she knew that if she ran, she'd get caught. And she couldn't simply go to spirit form, because then everybody would witness her disappearing in front of them. So unless something completely unexpected came up, she wouldn't be able to get out of the classroom until the end of the day. At least Renji was with Byakuya. He'd be alright as long as Renji was there.<p>

Although Kaili knew that in reality, people lost battles, were injured, and died, she still held onto the childish notion that it wouldn't happen to those that she cared about most. Even after helping in Fourth Division and watching as people died of their injuries, she still couldn't quite form the thought that death would touch the only family she had. It just wasn't possible in her mind. So Byakuya would be okay. Because he _would_.

* * *

><p>Byakuya struggled up through a haze of pain, trying to force himself awake. It wasn't working out quite as well as he hoped. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break through. Eventually he allowed his body to relax, and just floated on the waves of unconsciousness. Suddenly it occurred to him that this was just like giving up, and since Byakuya Kuchiki never <em>ever<em> gave up, he jerked himself awake.

Slowly he opened his eyes, wincing as bright light pierced his skull. Carefully, he tried to pull his protesting body into a sitting position, but a gentle hand pushed him back against the bed. Byakuya turned his head to look at Renji, and scowled at him.

"I got Unohana to come over," Renji told him. "She said that I did good enough that she didn't need to do anything, but if you did anything to hinder your healing, I could hand you over to her."

"You're a bastard." Byakuya retorted weakly, but he relaxed against the mattress again. What Unohana would do to him didn't bear thinking about.

"Aren't I?" Renji agreed. "Sleep now. I'm going to go get Kaili." Byakuya sighed, but didn't make any move to get up.

"So you can drive now?" he asked.

"You know I can't," Renji replied. "If you move, I'm giving you over to Unohana. If I understand correctly, there haven't been quite as many fights in the Eleventh Division lately due to that new 'Anger Management' thing that Yamamoto started, and she's got plenty of free time to torture you."

Byakuya snarled at him, but didn't make any plans to go anywhere. He knew that Renji was very serious.

* * *

><p><strong>You know what I want you to do... Seriously though. I check my email every morning before I go to school, and reading the reviews make me so happy XD It makes getting up early almost bearable.<strong>

**-Stormy**


	8. Tears, cuddles, and rare vulnerability

**This is a short chapter, but my head hurts, and I'm tired so it's all you're getting.**

**Anyways, I don't own Bleach. If I did... Forget it. No creative disclaimer today.**

* * *

><p>Renji put the wristband back on in a secluded clump of trees near Kaili's school, grimacing at the transition. He doubted that he'd ever get used to it. Casually, he walked across a large soccer field, towards the school. The few parents already waiting there gave him appraising looks, and he shifted uncomfortably. Did Byakuya get that? Renji would bet anything that he did. After all, Byakuya was insanely attractive, and he noticed a few single mothers who would <em>pay<em> to look at him. After all, if Renji didn't already get the privilege for free, _he_ would pay to look at Byakuya.

Trying not to show how uncomfortable he was with those eyes on him, Renji leaned against the wall of the school, and waited for Kaili to come out. He didn't have to wait long.

Kaili was the first one out of the school, and the second she saw Renji, she threw herself at him, and burst out in tears. Renji picked her up, and let her cry into his shoulder, gently cradling her against his chest.

"It's okay," he whispered softly. "He's okay." Kaili simply tightened her grip around his neck. "I even got Unohana to come. She says he'll be fine." The only reply that he got were several more quiet sobs. "He's even feeling well enough to insult me, which I think is a good sign." This at least got a response.

"What'd you do?"

"I threatened him."

"With what?" Kaili asked, obviously trying to figure out what would scare Byakuya enough that he'd snap at Renji.

"Unohana."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"That was kinda mean."

"But extremely necessary."

"… maybe."

"Come on. Let's go." Since Kaili showed no inclination to letting go of him any time soon, Renji walked in the direction of the ravine, still carrying her. The two of them removed their wristbands, and returned to the hotel.

Byakuya was asleep, curled up on his side. His right hand hovered protectively over his injured shoulder, and Renji paused for a moment to watch the vulnerability that Byakuya only showed when he was asleep. He knew that he was truly privileged to see Byakuya like this, instead of the cold, unapproachable mask that everybody else saw. Gently, Renji stroked Byakuya's hair. It was a privilege that he would never, ever abuse. Because if he lost it… Without Byakuya and Kaili, there really wasn't a point in living.

"See," Renji told Kaili. "He's fine."

"We need to get apple juice," Kaili replied, fixing him with a piercing stare.

"Why?" Renji asked, although he knew that there didn't _really_ have to be a reason with Kaili.

"Because apple juice makes _everything_ better."

There was no arguing with that. Renji stood slowly, and took Kaili out to buy apple juice from the gas station right across the street from the hotel. When they got back, Kaili lay down beside Byakuya and promptly went to sleep, clutching a jug of apple juice to her chest. Renji gently untangled the jug from her grip, and set it down on the side table. Then he lay down on the other side of Byakuya and went to sleep too.

* * *

><p>When Byakuya woke up, he found himself sandwiched between Kaili and Renji. Slowly, so as not to wake them, Byakuya pushed himself up into a sitting position, holding his left arm against his body. Silently he surveyed the room, absentmindedly stroking a stray copper curl away from Kaili's face.<p>

"Lie down." Renji commanded. Byakuya frowned down at him, peaceful moment broken.

"I'm not-" he began, but Renji cut him off.

"I'll call Unohana," Renji threatened, and Byakuya lay down again, scowling. "Don't do that," Renji mumbled, running his thumb gently over Byakuya's face. "You're too pretty to use such an ugly expression."

"So you've turned into Yumichika now?" Byakuya asked sourly.

"If you're gonna get nasty, I'm gonna leave," Renji warned. (**If you can tell me what that quote's from, you are amazing. Also, I may dedicate a chapter to you. Or, I'll write you a commission. Your choice. No, seriously guys. If you can tell me what this is from you are automatically boosted to one of the top spots on my 'Fav. People' list. Although, you're all already there anyways**)

Byakuya shut his eyes and sighed. "Sorry," he replied quietly. "I feel like shit."

"All the more reason to do what I tell you," Renji pointed out gently, pushing Byakuya's hair out of his eyes. Byakuya's right hand caught Renji's wrist so fast that it was hard to tell that he was injured.

"Don't go anywhere," Byakuya said softly. "Please."

"I'm not going anywhere," Renji promised.

* * *

><p><strong>Crap ending, short chapter... sorry.<strong>

**-Stormy**


	9. Recovery, lectures and scary movies

**I dedicate this chapter to Renjfantoo, since she gave me the idea for the last part in the chapter, and most of the next one... Thank you XD**

**I also dedicate this question to everybody who got the quote right last time which was... everyone. Good job guys!**

**Anyways, if I owned Bleach, Byakuya would take his shirt off every single scene.**

**...**

_**All**_** of them. Every single one. He'd be like Yamamoto. Except sexier.**

* * *

><p>When Renji woke up, Byakuya was already awake and sitting up. Renji scowled at him. Byakuya scowled back.<p>

"I'm not doing anything wrong." He said stubbornly, tilting his chin up the slightest little bit. Byakuya had perfected the art of the Look years before. Unfortunately for him, Renji had easily perfected the art of combating it. Slowly, he sat up and pressed his lips gently against Byakuya's. The smaller man held out for a moment, before relaxing. Renji pushed him down, and then flopped down beside him, a triumphant little grin on his face.

"That was cheating," Byakuya grumbled, but he made no move to sit up again. Gently, Renji pulled the slim man against him and kept him there with one strong arm.

"Maybe," Renji agreed mischeiviously. "But it worked."

"Huh."

"And you can't honestly say that you didn't enjoy it."

Byakuya didn't answer that. Renji liked to think it was because Byakuya didn't have a good answer, but it probably was more likely that he didn't answer because he was asleep again.

* * *

><p>The weekend passed smoothly after that. Although Byakuya was one of the worst patients <em>ever<em>, he didn't cause too much trouble after Renji's threats. Kaili refused to move from his side, and it took a lot of work to convince her to go to school on Monday. In the end, however, she agreed, after giving a Byakuya a strict lecture. It took all of Renji's willpower not to burst out laughing halfway through. The image of tiny little Kaili telling Byakuya very strictly what he could and could _not_ do was just too amusing.

Renji took Kaili to school, and then stumbled in late to class. The teacher looked up from his lecture, and smirked at Renji as he accepted the late slip.

"Sleep in?" he asked.

"No," Renji replied, barely managing to bite back the 'sir' that tried to jump off of his tongue. He had learned quickly that saying sir just got him strange looks. "I had to take my little sister to school. Sorry." The man gave him a kind smile.

"No problem. Family comes first, after all."

It was only when he turned to find his seat that he realized that he didn't have his backpack. He'd left it in the classroom when he'd run out on Friday and now he had no clue where it was.

"Hey, Renji," Tara hissed, poking him in the back of the head as he sat down. He turned a bit in his seat, giving the teacher a wary look. He didn't seem to notice.

"Looking for this?" Bren asked, holding his backpack up by one of the straps.

"Mel grabbed it after you ran out of the room on Friday," the two chorused. "You'd better thank her." There was a soft _ssccff_ as the backpack slid across the floor and banged into the back of his legs.

"Thanks," Renji replied.

"No problem," the two said together, and Renji fished his backpack out from under his seat and turned around again, shaking his head. The two of them looked nothing alike, but they acted almost the same. It was kind of creepy sometimes.

"Something wrong?" the teacher asked.

"Just giving Renji back his backpack Da- _Mr. Collens._" Bren's dad was a teacher at the school, so she knew all of the teachers by their first names.

"He forgot it in class on Friday," Tara added, smirking. She too knew the teachers by their first names. After all, she had been to Bren's house enough to have met them every time her dad decided to have a barbeque party. Besides, that's how Bren had introduced them the first day of high school. 'This is Dave, and this is Jay, and this is my dad…'

"Ah… Alright, now, as I was saying…"

* * *

><p>Kaili watched with mild interest as Mrs. Grant prepared the movie. The rest of the class was excited, but since Kaili didn't know what a 'movie' was, she just waited. If everybody was so excited about it, it had to be a good thing… right? But then again, everybody had been excited for kickball, but Kaili had thought it was just boring. So maybe this 'movie' thing wouldn't be so good after all.<p>

The movie started, and she watched in increasing panic as a truck zoomed down the highway. Then the truck opened its mouth and began to talk. Kaili screamed.

* * *

><p>Byakuya picked Renji up from school, and endured the lecture that he got the whole drive to Kaili's school without comment. He knew from experience that if he didn't react, Renji would eventually move on. However, half an hour later when Renji was <em>still <em>on the same topic, Byakuya decided it was time to intervene.

"And the second we get back I'm calling Unoha- mmph." Renji was cut off suddenly as Byakuya pushed his jaw closed gently with his index and middle finger on his right hand.

"I was bored," he explained nonchalantly, not letting go of Renji's chin. "And the walls aren't exactly the prettiest thing to look at all day."

Renji pushed Byakuya's hand away, holding it for a bit longer than was absolutely necessary. "You could have slept."

"That's boring too," Byakuya retorted. "I'm tired of sleeping." He pushed the door open, and slid out of the car, a small smirk flicking over his lips at the exasperated sigh that came from behind him."

"You know, Unohana might like you better if you actually rested a bit," Renji grumbled.

"Boring," Byakuya reminded him. "There's enough boring in my life without people after me to add more. Paperwork, captain's meetings, paperwork, training recruits, paperwork…"

Renji shook his head slowly, joining him by the side of the car. "You have a point…"

When the two of them arrived by the door of the school, some of the parents were already waiting there. The women among them looked very happy to have both extremely hot men there at the same time. Neither Renji nor Byakuya looked happy at being subject to the hungry gazes and coy glances being sent their way. Most of the other men didn't look too impressed by the attention the two of them were getting either.

Kaili came out, too frightened to even lecture Byakuya about being there, which broke one of the rules she had given them that morning. "There were cars on the screen," she sobbed. "And they talked!"

* * *

><p><strong>This time, try to guess the movie Kaili watched. Renjfantoo, you don't get to guess because you already know.<strong>

**-Stormy**


	10. Tattoos, seats and exasperated teachers

**Ha ha! Tenth Chapter! Woot woot!**

**Anyways, this chapter was pretty fun to write, once I got out of the heat of my room and went and chilled in the now carpetted basement! It's like, 35c outside and it's 8 at night! We had to run last period, which was awful since it was _really_ hot out. Like, _really, really_ hot.**

**And we got a new TV! It's the first time in my whole entire life that we've had more than one tv in the house at a time! It's also the biggest tv we've ever owned, and it's not actually that big compared to most of them... Oh well, I'm still pretty excited. We also got new couches for the basement, which we _just_ finished after living in this house for just over five years... Yay!**

**If I owned Bleach, there would be a purely fun episode where all of the Shinigami are introduced to cars. Both the movie, and the actual real thing. If I owned anything else referenced in this chapter I'd be a genius. Trust me, I'm not a genius...**

* * *

><p>"<em>There were cars on the screen," she sobbed. "And they talked!"<em>

Byakuya and Renji stared down at her for a moment, before glancing over at each other. "Talking cars?" Renji asked.

"We watched the Pixar movie 'Cars'," Mrs. Grant explained. "She cried through the whole thing."

"I can't blame her. That's _terrifying!_" Renji pointed out, gently stroking Kaili's hair.

"This is for children?" Byakuya asked, sounding slightly stunned.

Mrs. Grant stared at both of them. "It's a children's movie," she said, looking exasperated. "It's about courage and doing the right thing."

"And cars that talked!" Renji exclaimed. "That's not a children's movie. That's pure horror! _I_ wouldn't be able to watch it without crying!" Byakuya nodded his agreement. Mrs. Grant looked in between the three of them.

"How do you get everybody to school every day?" she asked.

"I drive, they scream," Byakuya explained.

"It works," Renji agreed.

"Not for me! I'm not allowed to shut my eyes every time another car comes at us!" Byakuya contradicted.

"Thank goodness." Renji said.

"…" Mrs. Grant gaped at them. So did many of the adults listening. Then, she slowly began to shake her head, a small smile scampering up over her lips. "You are the oddest family I've ever met," she informed them.

Renji bent down and picked up Kaili, who was still traumatized. "Thank you."

They had made it halfway back to the car when Kaili remembered that Byakuya was clearly breaking her rules. She then proceeded to lecture him all the way back to the hotel.

* * *

><p>Renji settled himself at his assigned spot at the cafeteria table. He had learned quickly that the little group was very protective of their spots. They sat in the exact same spot every day. In Social there was a spot that was all Bren's. She'd had it both terms so far, and was very unlikely to let go of it. In art, Gwen, Mel and Jess had claimed a table for their very own and they sat there every day. During Math, Ash refused to give up her seat by the window for <em>anything<em>, and in science, Tara had claimed a desk for her very own. Nobody else _ever_ sat in that desk, not even in the other classes. Nate stole Bren's spot occasionally, but she got him out with a well aimed kick, and several sharp insults. Nate had also tried to steal Tara's seat once, something that he was unlikely to ever try to repeat after she had kicked him in the face while he was standing. It had been the most impressive kick that Renji had ever seen, especially since she'd been wearing jeans at the time. Noah had stolen Gwen's spot once, but she had floored him in seconds. Ash had described it as funny. Mel had said it was hilarious, between giggles as she explained the incident. Noah had said it was _very_ painful.

"Hey, Renji," Grace called. She was currently sprawled out over Mel, Tara and Bren, staring up at him. "What's with the tattoos?"

Everybody at the table froze and turned to hear the story- even Bren and Tara who were currently discussing something about a 'dragon ring' that sang when you dropped it and glowed light when you wore it, but only if you were the master of the dragon boat. Renji didn't get it, but the two of them seemed very passionate about it. (**What series were they talking about? Bonus points if you can tell me which book that particular incident with the dropping and the singing and the glowing light came from**)

"Um…" Renji paused. "Well, they're sort of like… Soul markings?"

"That made no sense." Grace said plainly. Renji fidgeted a bit.

"Well, they're supposed to reflect my inner spirit really," Renji said. They'd think he was crazy if he told the truth- that the spirit of his sword had put them on him when he'd first learnt its name.

"They're cool," Gwen commented. Tara and Bren went back to their original discussion.

"Nothing like the usual crap," Jess agreed.

"Thanks…" Renji replied, anxious to switch topics. The others seemed happy to oblige, because quickly Gwen, Melissa and Grace were singing about the differences between two people. (**If you can figure this one out you're **_**amazing**_)

_When I rule the world I'll plant flowers!_

**When I rule the world I'll have **_**snakes**_**!**

The song continued. Bren pulled herself away from the conversation long enough to join the chorus.

_**I think it's plain to see,**_

_**When you look at you and me,**_

_**We're different, different as can be!**_

They then started up on a song about going back to school, and magical creatures, and how… they were excited about it? Renji didn't get it, but then again, he didn't get almost anything about these people.

Nate and Noah talked about long boards. Ash, Chrys and Jess were involved in an animated conversation about batman. Since Renji knew something about that, he joined in, and soon the question about his tattoos was forgotten.

* * *

><p>Kaili fidgeted a bit in her seat, longing to punch Annica in the face. It had been two weeks since Byakuya's injuries, and he seemed just fine, so now Kaili was having difficulties concentrating on something other than her own discomfort. And she was <em>very<em> uncomfortable.

Annica insulted her at every chance she could get, using everything as why Kaili was stupid to why everybody Kaili defended was wrong, and she, Annica was right, all the time.

After weeks of listening to the other girl blab on and on and _on_, Kaili finally snapped. It happened while they were walking out of the school at the end of the day. Annica was informing her, once again, that there were no numbers in math when Kaili stopped and spun around, facing the other girl square on.

"You're wrong."

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you liked!<strong>

**-Stormy**


	11. Hollows, danger and calm temper tantrums

**So, for those of you who didn't get it last chapter, the book was Septimus Heap: Magyk (awsome series, you should read it) and the other reference was A Very Potter Musical. If you haven't seen that, and you've read Harry Potter, or at least seen the movies, you should watch it. It is _so_ funny. Ask anybody who's watched it, they'll agree with me.**

_**Anyways**_**, if I owned Bleach, whenever they go float above the air and sort of fight in the air, they would be singing 'Defying Gravity' from Wicked. That would be _amazing_!**

* * *

><p><em>"You're wrong."<em>

Those two words seemed to make everybody freeze. Kaili was quiet, and nobody _ever_ told Annica off. The world around them seemed to stop and hold its collective breath, as everything tilted out of control for a moment, before clicking back into place when Annica pulled herself to her full height and stared down her nose at Kaili.

"What did you say?"

"You're wrong." Kaili repeated, tilting her chin up in the way that Renji had came to recognize meant that she wasn't going to back down. "Some types of math use letters. It's called algebra. Cars _are_ scary. Boys don't have cooties any more than girls do. You're not better than me just because you say you are. Funner isn't a word. And I don't like you at all." Then she turned on her heel in a way that reminded Renji of Byakuya. Seeing that particular 'you are below me, and nothing you say or do will ever affect me' posture on somebody so small was so amusing that it took Renji all of his willpower not to burst out laughing. Nobody else seemed to notice this, but then they had never seen Byakuya do it. Everybody seemed to be too amazed by Kaili's outburst to notice the very adult way with which she carried herself.

"That is the calmest temper tantrum I've ever seen." Somebody commented. Renji looked up at him.

"Nah. Fifth, at best."

"Sixth," Byakuya corrected. "Remember Shuhei's?"

"Sixth then." Renji agreed. "Sorry hon. Unohana's still best." After getting tired of all of the property damaged in the different fights started by short tempers, Yamamoto had started a contest. Whoever had the calmest temper tantrums won. Unohana had been the best ever since the contest had been put into effect, with Byakuya coming second. Although, Renji didn't think he _really_ deserved that spot, since when he came home he was _much_ less calm.

"I wasn't trying for that," Kaili replied, sliding her hand into Byakuya's. Renji took her other one, and the three of them walked away. Just as they were leaving, Byakuya's Soul Pager beeped. He fished it out of his pocket with one hand, and studied it quietly.

"It's coming this way," he said, and the three of them headed for a secluded spot, where they removed their gigais (**that's what I'm calling them for now, since I have no word for the bracelet madooeys…**).

The hollow materialized near the group of still stunned parents and instantly headed towards the oblivious group. Byakuya was gone in seconds, Renji and Kaili quick to follow him.

* * *

><p>A sharp roar rang through her ears, and Mrs. Grant looked up from the conversation that she was having with a parent. She had gotten used to these, although she still wondered whether she was crazy, since nobody else seemed to be able to see or hear the monsters. Sometimes she would watch as a human figure, cloaked in black would come and slice the monster open with a sword. The monster would then dissolve into nothing.<p>

She waited for the monster to disappear, but to her growing horror, it just kept approaching them. Suddenly it lunged at Janice, and Mrs. Grant barely managed to hold back a scream of horror. She had long since learnt that all that got was odd looks. Still, she couldn't keep a small gasp from escaping her mouth when a huge fist came hurtling down towards Janice. There was a blur of black and white, and then Byakuya Kuchiki was standing in between Janice and the gigantic monster. He had stopped the fist with the palm of one hand. He pushed the monster back, leapt up and sliced it open with a sword. The monster dissolved, and Mrs. Grant frowned.

The parent that she was speaking to turned around, and then gave her a quizzical look. She blinked back to what she was supposed to be doing.

"Sorry," she said, smiling apologetically. "I didn't get much sleep last night." The man nodded, seemingly satisfied with that answer.

"I'll leave you in peace then," he replied. The rest of the parents seemed to take that as their cue to leave, towing their children behind them. Mrs. Grant watched Janice with particular interest. She didn't seem to realize how close she'd come to certain death.

Her eyes widened as several more monsters appeared out of nowhere. This time, there was a little streak of black and red, and five of them were felled immediately. When the blur slowed, Mrs. Grant stared as Kaili skidded to a stop, a sword resting in her hand as though it were natural for it to be there. Renji was also fighting, his crimson hair flowing out behind him dramatically as he sliced through horrid mask after horrid mask. As suddenly as they had come, the monsters were gone.

Byakuya's sharp gaze settled on her, and she squirmed a little bit, but refused to give in, even though her mind was screaming to turn and run, she planted her feet firmly on the ground, and met his gaze squarely.

"What _are_ you?" she asked, finally managing to muster up enough courage to speak. The three of them exchanged glances, before turning back to her.

"It's a long story," Kaili replied. "And you might want to be sitting down."

Amazement flooded her mind as she watched them change from non-human to something that at least _resembled_ human. Their clothes changed too, going from long flowing robes to jeans and T-shirts.

"H-how?" she stuttered, stumbling back a step.

"Like I said," Kaili repeated. "It's a long story. And you might want to be sitting down." Mrs. Grant looked in between them, and then pulled herself together and turned on her heel.

"Let's go to my classroom."

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you liked =)<strong>

**-Stormy**


	12. Explanation disbelief and many questions

**This is a really short chapter... Sorry... But I can't actually think out what happens next, and I have to go to bed soon because I have to go to the pool early tomorrow for swim class teaching lesson thingies... Ah well.**

**Anyways, if I owned Bleach, there would be some part, somewhere, where Byakuya has to go save somebody while they're drowning, and he jumps into the water, and then when he comes up, all of the water's dripping from his hair, and down his back, and his clothes are really wet so they cling to his body and... yeah. Well you can imagine how hot that'd be.**

* * *

><p>Mrs. Grant watched the three people in her classroom warily. "So you're something called 'Shinigami' who apparently manage the dead, and help them move on."<p>

"Yes." Byakuya agreed, not turning around from the window.

"And the monsters are called Hollows, which are dead souls who prey on the souls of others."

"That's correct."

"And when you slice them open with your zanpa- sword thing, the original soul goes to the Soul Society."

"Uh huh," Kaili interjected.

"And I'm supposed to believe that?"

"Believe what you want," Byakuya replied from his station by the window. "If you can find any other plausible reason to explain what you just saw, by all means, use it."

"I can't believe what I saw! It's so… unbelievable."

"It's weird," Kaili agreed, "but you've got to have wondered what happens after you die, haven't you? Now you know."

"Is it a nice place? This Soul Society.

"Yes." Kaili said.

"No," Byakuya said at the exact same time.

Renji joined in the chorus with a definite, "sometimes."

"… Do you want a moment to get your stories straight?" Mrs. Grant asked, a small smile lighting up her features at the obvious disagreement between the three of them.

"It depends on where you live really," Renji explained. "Some of the districts are awful, and some of them aren't. It's like earth, except nobody ages, and people rarely get sick or die."

"Some of the districts look as though they should be good, but they really aren't," Byakuya added. He sounded sad, as though recalling some painful memory. "Everybody's jealous of the people living there, until they themselves see what it's like. Everybody there wants to go to any other district, even the slums, but they can't."

"The best districts are in the middle," Kaili explained. "Nobody's real rich there, but nobody's really poor either."

"The Seireitei's the best actually," Renji said. "But you have to meet certain requirements to get in, and if you don't, it's unlikely that you'll ever see anything except for the gates."

"It's likely that you'll end up in the Seireitei sometime after you die," Byakuya told her. "Since you have such high reiatsu, when you die it's likely that you'll end up having enough to get into the Seireitei."

"What's rei- reia- that thing?" Mrs. Grant asked.

"It's kinda like a measure of how powerful you're soul is. If it's powerful enough, you'll be able to have a zanpaku-to and become a Shinigami," Kaili replied.

"… That zanpaku-to thing is the sword, right?"

"Yeah. It's like embodiment of your soul. Each zanpaku-to has a name and a personality."

Renji had walked over to stand by Byakuya at the window. He had an arm hooked around his waist, and was speaking softly. Byakuya replied, just as quietly, and tilted his head back to rest it against Renji's shoulder.

"Renji's not really your brother, is he?" Mrs. Grant enquired.

"Nope. He's my daddy."

"And Byakuya?"

"He's my daddy too."

"Ah. But they pretended because that type of thing is unfortunately still frowned upon here?"

"Yeah. Or at least that's what Captain Yamamoto said."

"Captain Yamamoto?"

"The leader of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads- the groups that the Shinigami are split up into."

"Oh. What squad are you in?"

"Six. I'm third seat. Renji's vice captain, and Byakuya's the captain."

"That's why he was dressed differently?"

"That's what the white robe meant. The scarf and the hair thingies are supposed to represent his status as the head of one of the four great noble clans."

"Kuchiki?"

"Yep. He doesn't like them much. They don't like him either, since he's going against what he's supposed to. He's breaking the rules, and nobody has managed to stop him. He's really stubborn."

Mrs. Grant glanced over at Byakuya, thinking. He always stood the same way, she had noticed. His back perfectly straight, chin tilted up, both traits of a truly stubborn person. He even spoke in a way that suggested that nothing would ever make him back down. "I don't doubt that," she told Kaili. "He seems stubborn."

"The only person who can get him to listen is Unohana, and that's only because she scares him. And she scares _everyone_." Kaili kicked at the ground contemplatively. "But I think Byakuya's only scared of her because she can blackmail him whenever she wants to. And she can hold a grudge _forever_."

"She does sound scary."

"But she likes Byakuya, really," Kaili confided quietly. "He just doesn't know it."

Mrs. Grant laughed. "And you're not telling him?"

"Nope. If he knows that she likes him, he probably won't listen to her anymore. And since she's the only person he actually listens to…"

"That _could_ be a problem."

"He listens to Renji too sometimes though," Kaili continued, frowning, "but usually Renji agrees with Byakuya, and when _that_ happens…" she shuddered. "There's no point in arguing."

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah... Sorry again for the short chapter...<strong>

**Thanks to reviewers XD You guys make my day!**

**-Stormy**


	13. Fights, invisibility and horrid images

**I'm so sorry I didn't update yesterday! But I had a six hour swimming course, and then my aunt, my cousins, my other aunt and uncle, and my grandparents came over and the only time I got to myself was fifteen minutes before bed, which I spent finishing my book because it's really addictive. I totally didn't expect the ending though... The murderer _definitely_ wasn't who I thought it would be.**

**Anyways, if I owned Bleach people wouldn't _talk_ as much through the fight scenes. I means seriously, they can't go five minutes without giving a long winded speech about how they're better than their oponent. It gets a bit old.**

* * *

><p>"Tell me again," Renji said, for the fourth time that evening. Byakuya sighed, and tilted his head back.<p>

"You know what happened," he replied wearily.

"Just because I know doesn't mean I believe." Renji told him.

"Would I lie?"

"… No."

"There you go."

"So I'm just supposed to believe that there's some random, powerful, _invisible_ monster running around and eating people?" Renji exclaimed softly, glancing over at Kaili, who had nestled herself against Byakuya's side.

"You believed that before. Why not now? Besides, there's no proof that it's _eaten_ them. Just kidnapped."

"I believed that there was a powerful hollow- maybe an arrancar, with the power to reflect light away from it. I definitely said nothing about monsters and eating people. And what else would it have done?"

"… Do you really want to know?"

"Yes. If you have a theory on whatever else it would do with a fully grown woman and a little girl, please do tell me."

Byakuya told him. Renji ran to the washroom and threw up everything that was left in his stomach. Byakuya joined him at the sink with a glass of water, which he offered silently.

"Your mind works in horrible and gruesome ways," Renji grumbled, drinking the water gratefully. "Any other ideas that _aren't_ awful?"

"Other ideas? Yes. But they're all awful."

"I don't want to hear it."

"I _did_ warn you."

"Well yes, but if I had known it would have been _that_ bad, I wouldn't have asked." Renji leaned against the doorframe and rested his cheek against the cool porcelain tiles that lined the wall. Byakuya tugged him away from the wall, and out of the washroom.

"Come on," he said gently, pushing him onto the bed and then sitting beside him. Renji rested his head on Byakuya's shoulder, silently breathing his scent. It had a sort of calming effect, and, slowly, he relaxed. Byakuya stroked his hair soothingly, but he was tense. No doubt, he was being haunted by horrid images as well.

"Is there any chance that we can save them?" Renji asked.

"Maybe."

"How long would do we have, in the best case scenario?"

"A few days."

"Let's go now."

Renji looked down at Kaili, who was rubbing her eyes sleepily.

"I don't like her, but I don't want her to be eaten," Kaili explained. She frowned, puzzled. "But why would it wait a few days before eating them?"

Renji and Byakuya shared a relieved look.

"Never mind about that," Byakuya told her. After giving him a slightly irritated look, Kaili bounced off of the bed. She was tense too, and her tiny face was drawn into a frown.

"Let's go."

*****Six Hours Earlier*****

Kaili was outside for recess when she felt the horrid thrum of the odd reiatsu, except much, much closer this time. She looked up towards the sky automatically, but she couldn't see anything. Quickly she ducked out of sight and removed the wristband, looking around for the disturbance, one hand resting on her zanpaku-to. She could feel the reiatsu, but she couldn't see it. She couldn't even see a disturbance in the air. Byakuya had said that it was completely invisible, but there should still be _something_!

A deep, dark voice echoed around the playground, but nobody seemed to notice it except for her. She swallowed hard, pulling out her zanpaku-to, and holding it ready.

"Ah, another little play-thing. Will you be as fun as the other one? He was very amusing… can you be amusing?"

Kaili grimaced, her ears ringing. There was a swish of air near her ear, and remembering what Byakuya had told her, just in time, she dove out of the way. Clumps of dirt flew from the ground as deep claws dug into it, and then ripped out. Still, nobody noticed. She lunged at the air in front of her, but her blade met no resistance.

"No," the voice continued mournfully. "You're not amusing at all. I think it's time to up the stakes, yes?" There was another woosh of air, and once again Kaili dodged. This time the claws caught on her robes and ripped down the sleeve. Again, the claws came, and again she barely dodged them. Byakuya had needed Bankai to defeat this thing. She hadn't reached Bankai yet, but her Shikai _should_ be enough to hold the thing back long enough for somebody to come help her.

"Strike," she hissed, holding out her zanpaku-to, "Arashi." (**Arashi means 'storm' in Japanese. I've been wanting to use this as a zanpaku-to name for a while now**)

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><p>Byakuya jumped up the instant that he felt the strange reiatsu emerge again. With a shock of horror, he realized that it was by Kaili's school, and he instantly started shunpo-ing in the direction of the school. There was no way in hell that he was going to allow Kaili to be injured. Never, ever.<p>

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><p>Renji started a bit in his seat when he felt the sudden, oppressing dampness of the weird reiatsu. He stared down at the test in front of him, trying to think up a way out of the classroom. The teacher he had now was very strict, and it was doubtful that he would let him out while he was doing a test. He wasn't nearly as kind or perceptive as the other teacher, and wouldn't notice if Renji looked sick. Even if Renji said something, he would still have to finish the test before leaving the classroom. And if he just ran out, the teacher would chase him down, and would notice if Renji suddenly just disappeared. Fidgeting in his seat, Renji glared down at the test, wishing it were multiple choice. If it were, he could have just circled random answers, and gotten out of class easily. Unfortunately, it was all short answer. Quickly, Renji scribbled half answers on the lines, struggling to go as fast as possible while his mind filled with different horrid images, some very real, and others made up.<p>

As soon as he had scrawled his last incomplete answer on the lines, he ran up to the front and shoved it at the teacher hurriedly.

"Could I go to the washroom? Please?" he asked. The teacher gave him an odd look, and nodded, and Renji ran out of the classroom. Once again, he forgot his backpack.

* * *

><p>Tara picked the backpack up at the end of class, and shared a look with Gwen, Bren and Jess.<p>

"Seriously!" she exclaimed. "How hard is it to remember a damn _backpack_?"

"Extremely, if Renji is anything to go by." Bren replied dryly, rolling her eyes.

"He's going to be in _so_ much trouble when he gets back. Skipping out on the rest of class," Gwen said as the four of them wandered out of the classroom to meet up with the rest of their friends.

"And he didn't even write complete answers on his test," Bren and Tara chorused. This statement earned them odd looks from the other two.

"What?" they both asked. "I was done early and I was _bored_!"

"Why didn't you just chat through your mind connection?" Mel asked, joining them in the hall. Grace was beside her.

"We don't have a mind connection," they replied, together again.

"Yeah you do," Grace said huffily, tilting her chin up. She noticed the backpack in Tara's hand. "_Again_?" she asked. "What is _with_ him?"

"Did he just dash out again?" Mel asked.

"Yeah." Jess replied. "According to the twins over there, he didn't even finish his test properly."

"We're _not_ twins!" Bren and Tara exclaimed. Everybody ignored them.

"That's the seventh time since he's gotten here! What's going on? He doesn't _seem_ like a skipper."

"Well what else?"

"He could be off hunting monsters," Bren said contemplatively.

"Yeah," Tara agreed. "He was that one day, remember? We saw him and that other man."

"The hot black haired one?"

"That's the one. They were dressed weird, like they were from Harry Potter or something. And the black haired man had hair curlers in."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Gwen said. "Fighting monsters? You're kidding, right."

"Of course," Tara said scornfully.

"No, we watched Renji fight a huge-ass monster in the middle of St. Albert," Bren said sarcastically. "Seriously." She paused. "We did see them in the outfit though."

"Who dresses like that?" Ash asked, plopping down at her assigned seat.

"Cosplayers?" Jess suggested.

"What are they cosplaying?" Gwen wanted to know. "Harry Potter characters in pyjamas?"

Tara and Bren exchanged a look, not wanting to tell the others what they really had seen. Renji and some hot guy fighting a humongous monster while standing about two stories up. Their friends already thought they were crazy enough as is.

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><p><strong>Tell me what you think XD<strong>

**-Stormy**


	14. Confusion, shock and soul snatching

**Umm... Yeah, the end of this chapter is the end of the flashback, btw. So, who was kidnapped? You'll find out, after the break. I will never, ever be a news anchor. That was terrible.**

**Anyways, if I owned Bleach, all of the captains would have to eat supper together, and it would be _funny_. Like my captain's meetings except Yamamoto doesn't stop them XD**

* * *

><p>Kaili stumbled out of the way of another attack, tripping and sprawling out on the hard earth. Trapped, she squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the ending blow. There was the sharp hiss of air as the claws swished towards her, and then, the sharp clang of metal against metal. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and looked up. Byakuya was standing in front of her, Senbonzakura blocking the attack.<p>

"Ah ha," the dark voice chuckled. "You've come back to play, have you?"

Kaili clambered to her feet, clinging to Arashi. Shikai hadn't done much good, but now that Byakuya was there… she breathed out a sigh of relief. Now that Byakuya was there, everything would be okay. After all, Byakuya was amazing.

"Unfortunately, I must call our little game to a halt. After all, you're cheating. How about I even the odds, hmm?"

Kaili gulped, and tightened her grip a bit. What did it mean, 'even the odds'? She didn't like the sound of it. Byakuya didn't seem to either, if his sudden frown was anything to go by.

Suddenly, the bodies of Janice and Annica, who were coming back from going out to lunch together, slumped as their souls were pulled from them. With a gasp of surprise, Kaili sprinted in their direction, with Byakuya directly behind her. Just as she was nearing them, the voice spoke again.

"I'm sorry, but I think I'll keep these. They look as though they'll make _very_ good toys."

With that final statement, the strange reiatsu disappeared, taking Janice and Annica with it. Kaili collapsed to her knees, sobbing. Byakuya picked her up gently, and cradled her against his body while she sobbed softly.

"No, no, no," she whimpered, "uh uh." She clung to his robes. "I don't like them, but it'll kill them, a-an-an-and it'll eat th-em and…" she buried her face in his shoulder, "an' kill them an' eat them and, and,"

Byakuya just held her tighter as she cried. He didn't say anything. There was nothing to say. Renji skidded to a halt beside Byakuya and Kaili. "What happened?" he asked, panting. Byakuya told him.

* * *

><p>Mrs. Grant stared at the slumped bodies of Annica and Janice. Seeing their souls ripped out of their bodies and carried off by some huge invisible beast shocked her horribly. One of the supervisors was calling 911, and the students were rapidly running to the scene to see what had happened. It was only when Josh, a little boy in her class looked around and asked "where's Kaili?" that she managed to snap back to her senses.<p>

"She wasn't feeling well," she replied. "She went home." She looked at Byakuya, who was holding Kaili in a manner that she recognized instantly. She had used it plenty of times when her children were frightened or sad. Plenty of parents had. Seeing that reflected in the cold, quiet man gave her the reassurance that she needed. The world was still right when a father gave their child love like that. Maybe it had straightened on its axis, but it was still, basically right.

Silently, she watched as Byakuya, Kaili and Renji all disappeared in a blur of movement. Then, she turned her attention back to the problem at hand. After all, the three 'Shini-whatevers' would take care of it. That was their job, after all.

* * *

><p>Tara and Bren were walking to Tara's house together when a sudden disturbance rippled through the air. Both girls stopped, and stared at each other, driven to their knees by a sudden pressure.<p>

"The hell?" Tara gasped, clutching at her chest. Suddenly, there was a sharp tug of pain as they were ripped from their bodies. The two exchanged looks as cold metal claws closed around their ribs. Bren stared down at her body, slumped on the concrete of the sidewalk.

"What?" she asked, looking over at Tara. "Are we dead?" She noticed a chain attached to her chest and tugged at it uncomfortably. The chain was somehow connected to her body, through some sort of link. Panicking a bit now, she struggled to remember everything that she had learnt at church the few times that she had gone, before deciding it was all bullshit anyways. (**No offence meant, btw. Just my personal opinion. Don't try to convert me, or I will be extremely angry with you, and probably use up the character limit on the PMs to inform you **_**exactly**_** where you can shove that. I have nothing against religion. It's just when people try to force it on me that I get a bit pissed. So don't.**) Besides, she had been too busy entertaining thoughts of punching that smug priest's face in to bother listening to the shit that came out of his mouth. She had stopped listening at the point where he began to inform his audience that they were worth nothing, and that God made them who they were, and they would never ever have achieved anything without God. As far as she'd been concerned, God could shove it up his ass.

"Tara?" she asked quietly, since Tara knew the answer to _everything_, "what's going on?"

"I don't know," Tara replied, sounding slightly scared.

"You're going to be my toys," a deep, dark, rippling voice rang out over their heads. "Isn't that exciting?"

"No," they chorused. "Not really."

"It is for me," the voice giggled, or as much as something that deep could giggle. "And since I'm stronger than you, you have to do what I say!"

"Oh joy," Bren replied sarcastically.

"Aren't you so nice," Tara continued, scowling bitterly.

"I _know_," the voice replied, not seeming to understand the sarcasm.

Bren gave up on sarcasm and let out a string of curse words that would have sent her mother to an early grave had she heard them come out of her 'darling daughter's' mouth. After a moment, Tara joined in.

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><p><strong>Please review =3 Tell me what you liked, what you didn't like, what could use improving, what completely and utterly <em>sucked<em> etc. Please! I need the feedback!**

**Thanks to everybody who has reviewed so far. You are amazing.**

**-Stormy**


	15. Songs, silence, and a full day

**Agh! Running out of creative chapter title names... Gah!**

**Anyways, sorry it's so short...**

**If I owned Bleach, there would be moments where everybody just cuddled. There would be no reason for the cuddles, they would just... happen.**

* * *

><p>"Where are we going?" Renji asked. "We don't even know where this monster is!"<p>

"Yes we do," Byakuya replied smoothly.

"What? No we don't!"

Byakuya's only response was to hold up a shiny black disc. A red dot was at the centre of the disc, with a green dot moving towards it.

"You put a tracker on it?" Renji exclaimed. "When?"

"When it took them," Byakuya said softly. Kaili gave him a sideways look.

"I didn't see that!"

"You were… otherwise occupied."

"You mean I wasn't paying attention." Kaili stated flatly.

"Not to me."

"So, where is it then?" Renji asked, already dreading the answer.

"Hueco Mundo. Where else?"

"How long until we reach the portal?" (**Totally not the right word**) Renji wanted to know.

"Two minutes."

* * *

><p>Tara and Bren were bored. Very, very bored. And when they were bored, they found ways to amuse themselves. This was no different when they were hanging upside down from the ceiling in something very close to the web that spiders wrapped their prey in while being held captive in some big cave by a huge invisible monster that they had yet to see. And so, they were singing.<p>

_What is this feeling?_

_Fervid as a flame!_

_Does it have a name?_

_Ye-es!_

_Loathing, unadulterated loathing!_

And so on. The other two people in the cave didn't seem to be too pleased by their beautiful singing voices. Well… if the two of them were to be honest is was more like, beautifulish singing voices. Not even beautifulish. More like… not bad.

But that was no need to whine like that. There was no way that _they _would get better entertainment in this place, so they could've shut up. Besides. Neither Tara nor Bren cared about the two bitches. For all that they were concerned, they needed to get their priorities straight. After all, their ears bleeding couldn't be _nearly_ as bad as the fact that they were hanging upside down from the roof of a big, dank, dark cave after being kidnapped by a nasty invisible monster. Not even close.

* * *

><p>They found themselves standing in front of a huge mountain, scarred with crisscrossing paths and pockmarked with caves.<p>

"It's the top cave, isn't it?" Renji asked.

"Yes," Byakuya replied calmly. He and Kaili started up the nearest path. With a groan, Renji followed them up the steep side of the mountain. Before long, something began to prick at his senses, something strange, and yet extremely familiar. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't pinpoint where he'd felt it before. After some examination however, it turned out that it was two different spirit ribbons, twined together so that they mixed and formed an almost inseparable string. It was so familiar, and he could feel the answer tugging at the corner of his mind, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't reach it. It was in so _frustrating_!

* * *

><p>Tara and Bren had switched songs again.<p>

_One short day,_

_In the emerald city!_

_One short day,_

_To have a lifetime of fun!_

_One short day…_

Janice and Annica didn't seem to understand that filling the cave with sound, no matter _how_ out of tune they were, was the only way to keep from being swallowed up by the heavy silence of the cave. But the two friends knew, that going quiet would only allow the evil to creep back in, and maybe this time it would eat them up.

They fell silent, however, when a shadow crept from the mouth of the cave, and for the first time since they had been kidnapped, they set their eyes on their captor.

* * *

><p>An ominous rumbling drew Byakuya's attention upwards, to the sudden avalanche of boulders heading towards them. Quickly, he grabbed Kaili's wrist, and she, Renji, and him ran for shelter. The rocks barely missed them, and if Byakuya had bothered to reach out a hand, his wrist would have been broken by the oncoming stones. Instead he pressed back against the mountain side, holding onto Kaili tightly, as though she might somehow be snatched from his grip by the avalanche. Renji had a firm grip on Byakuya's other hand, like he had the same worries.<p>

That now familiar voice rang through the air, bouncing off the side of the mountain, and echoing through the caves.

"Don't give up easily, do you?" it asked. "That's really too bad for you. Because I don't either, and I've always been told that I'm too hard on my toys." Chuckling softly, it continued. "You've got a full day. If you haven't gotten here by then, it's bye, bye to these delectable females!" There was a shriek from above them. "A full day, remember. And I don't plan on going easy on you."

As suddenly as it had started, the rocks stopped falling, although distant crashes from below them showed that there were still some continuing down the mountainside. Cautiously, Byakuya pulled away from the rock behind him, and peered out from their little nook. It was only when Renji pulled him into a tight hug that he realized that he was shaking. He allowed the embrace for a brief moment, before pulling away reluctantly, and holding out a hand to Kaili.

"Come on," he said softly. "We've only got a day, after all."

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><p><strong>Sorry again for the short chapter...<strong>

**Review?**

**-Stormy**


	16. Blueness, dragons and more singing

**For those of you who didn't know, the songs that Tara and Bren were singing last chapter were 'What is this Feeling?' and 'One Short Day' from Wicked. If you don't know them, I strongly suggest that you check them out, because they are _amazing_. I also suggest that you see Wicked if it ever comes to your area. It is super special _awesome_!**

**Anyways, if I owned Bleach, they would randomly break out into song, all the time. They would be in the middle of a Captain's Meeting and all of a sudden somebody would start to sing. And then everybody else would join in. There might be a little bit of dancing going on there too XD**

* * *

><p>Tara and Bren fell silent as their captor stepped into the room, totally visible. Janice and Annica instantly started complaining, but they were ignored.<p>

"Where're the claws?" both Tara and Bren asked at the same time. "And since when do the evil villains in _real life_ get to be hot? That only happens in anime, where everybody's either extremely hot, or really fat and ugly, but usually hot. This is _not_ anime." The man on the floor below them smiled, showing sharp rows of teeth.

"Would you prefer this?" the man asked, his body stretching like rubber, and morphing into a large monster that appeared to be part spider, part dragon and part… something else. Janice and Annica shrieked. Tara and Bren just frowned.

"We weren't _complaining_ exactly," Bren began.

"We were just wondering," Tara added.

"But if it's all the same to you, we like the other one better," they finished together. Once again, his body stretched and morphed back into the shirtless, slim, gorgeous man of a few moments earlier.

"Another question though," Bren continued.

"Why are you blue?" Tara completed the question.

"It's quite… odd."

"But extremely attractive."

"Very attractive."

The man scuttled up the wall with the grace of a spider, and settled himself close to the two captured girls. "Why is your skin pale?" he wanted to know.

"Because skin colour is a hereditary trait passed down by your parents," Bren and Tara chorused. "And my parents had pale skin."

"Ah… Well, I just learnt something new today. The answer I was expecting was 'I was born this way'."

"So _did_ your parents had blue skin?" Tara asked.

"… No."

"Was it green?" Bren sounded totally serious. Only somebody who knew her extremely well, like Tara, would be able to see the gleam of mischief in her eyes.

"Er… No actually."

"Orange?" Tara added. Only Bren was able to notice the small smirk flickering on the corner of her mouth.

"No…"

"Oh, I know! It was pink, wasn't it?"

"…"

"Was that a yes or a no?"

"It was a no."

"Aww… yellow then?"

"No."

"Purple. It was purple, wasn't it?"

"My mom's is."

"Haha!"

"You're dad's was red then."

"Yes."

"Woo! High fi- that's not possible. Dammit."

"We'll have to remember that for as soon as we get out."

"Unless, of course, you'd be so kind as to let us out of this net thing."

The man was just staring at them with the look that people often got when they spent some time in the company of Bren and Tara. Janice and Annica were also wearing it. Bren and Tara ignored this.

"So, did you want something?" they asked together.

"Not… really."

"Great!"

_Scream, shout, scream, shout, _

_We are the fallen angels!_

_We are the in between,_

_Cast down as sons of war, struck to the earth like lightning_

_On this world we're torn_

_We won't cause the pain_

_Of living out their law_

_Take joy in who you are_

_We know our wings are flawed_

_Woah!_

_We're bored to death in heaven,_

_And all alone in hell,_

_We only want to be ourselves_

_We scream,_

_We shout,_

_We are the Fallen Angels!_

They continued to sing, ignoring the confused stares they were gathering. It was normal to them, and besides, it wasn't them who were weird, it was everybody else. Obviously.

* * *

><p>Renji was <em>still<em> having troubles figuring out what the strange yet familiar tangled reiatsu came from. He was sure that he had felt it many times before; it had a comforting feeling to it, almost like the feeling of Byakuya or Kaili's reiatsu, yet newer, and weirder. But _where_ he knew it from, he couldn't remember. It was bothering him, as was the monster's 'one full day' warning. They could _easily_ make it up the mountain in far less than a day, so what did it have planned?

Byakuya seemed equally worried. His face was pulled into that tiny frown that he only got when he was concerned over something, and he had already taken out the kenseikan and stored them away in some safe pocket- although that could have just been because he hated the damn things. Renji couldn't blame him. No matter how much time he spent studying the little ceramic tubes, he couldn't figure out how they worked, nor could he even guess at their basic purpose. Even after watching Byakuya put them in every morning, he _still_ didn't get it.

Silently, they continued upwards, alert and waiting for their next challenge. When it came at them, roaring and shooting flames, they were ready.

* * *

><p>"Do you have a water jug or something?" Bren asked.<p>

"A what?"

"A water jug," Tara repeated, slowly, as though he were stupid.

"What's that?" Janice snapped. She was had already been annoyed enough by the two girls' singing. Now they were just being infuriating.

"You know, a jug with water in it."

"A water bottle," Annica corrected snobbishly.

"Exactly. A water jug."

"It's called a water _bottle_," Annica informed them. "_Nobody_ calls it a water jug."

"It's a water jug," Bren replied calmly.

"We're right," Tara added.

"The universe is _wrong_." Bren agreed.

"… That's just _stupid_! You're _stupid_!"

"…"

"Beginning to regret your choice of captives?" Bren asked.

"A bit."

"At least we're entertaining."

"Yes. But the problem is, you aren't entertaining in the way that I wanted you to be."

"Sorry. You probably should have just gone with Whiny and Idiot over there instead of picking us up. I'm pretty sure that it would've worked out then."

"Yes well, what's done is done."

"True. So… what exactly did you need us for?"

"Entertainment."

"Ah… We're good at that!"

_Master!_

_Apprentice!_

_Heartborne, Seventh Seeker!_

_Warrior!_

_Disciple!_

_In me, the Wishmaster!_

"That wasn't the entertainment I meant," he complained. But Tara and Bren ignored him.

* * *

><p>"A dragon!" Renji exclaimed, diving out of the way of the latest jet of fire. "It has a fucking dragon?"<p>

Byakuya didn't reply. He was too busy trying not to be fried.

Kaili danced backwards agilely, drawing Arashi. Maybe shikai hadn't worked on an unseen monster, but a dragon would be _easy_. After all, she knew where it was. All that she had to do was avoid getting burned.

"Shit! There's another one!"

"Another two," Byakuya corrected softly, pulling Senbonzakura from his sheath. "One for each of us."

"Come on!" Kaili called. "We've only got one day!"

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><p><strong>Right. The songs from <em>this<em> chapter were 'Fallen Angels' by the Black Veil Brides, and 'Wishmaster' by Nightwish. Check them out, they are awesomeness in its purest form.**

**Review and tell me what you liked, didn't like etc.**

**-Stormy**


	17. Lightning, strategies and fitting names

**Agh! Super short chapter! (But the cool thing is, it's 666 words XD Or at least it is on my computer. Just the story part, not the A/N) I'm sorry, but I'm _so_ tired, and my eyes aren't focusing anymore...**

**On a more positive note, I got my record time for the Terry Fox run today! I jogged the whole way! I'm so proud of myself! It's still worse than half the kids in my class, but I don't care. It's good by my standards.**

**If I owned Bleach they'd have to run the Terry Fox run. (I love torturing these people!) Let's see how _they_ like that torture. All of the 'motivational' videos that make you want to cry, and gym teachers yelling at you because you suck at running. I doubt they'd last.**

* * *

><p>"You haven't actually told us your name," Bren and Tara remarked together. "Do you even have one?"<p>

"Dagger." Their captor replied.

"Dagger…" Bren murmured.

"I like it." Tara stated.

"Good villain material." Bren agreed.

"I approve." They chorused.

"… Thank you?"

"No problem."

* * *

><p>Kaili calmly held out her zanpaku-to. "Strike. Arashi." The sword jumped in her fingers, the steel writhing into long sharp zigzags. Electricity coursed over the blade, and Kaili smiled as she dodged another bolt of flame. Even a dragon wouldn't be able to fight back very well when it was paralyzed.<p>

Swiftly, she ducked down under the dragon's long neck, skipping to the side agilely as it lunged at her with sharp claws. Quickly, she pinpointed the beast's weaknesses- it was slower than she was, and less agile. However, it did have a very fierce looking tail, long, pointy teeth and fearsome claws. And, of course there was the whole breathing flames business. But, she was certain that all that she had to do was find a crack in those shiny scales, and then she wouldn't have to worry about it anymore.

Skipping along to the side of the dragon to avoid another jet of fire, Kaili noticed one other thing. It didn't have very good peripheral vision. That made for an awesome advantage, and it was probably the monster's biggest weakness. She would have to use it to its full advantage.

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><p>Byakuya ducked out of the way just in time to avoid the dragon's jagged claws, noting the differences between this thing's claws, and the claws of the invisible monster. The invisible monster's claws were smoother, whereas the dragon's were uneven, and not as curved as the others had seemed to be. Byakuya grimaced a bit as he thought of this. He should know. After all, he had been sliced open with those claws.<p>

Quickly, he darted beneath the dragon's long neck, searching for any weakness in those glimmering scales and finding none. This only served to encourage him, however. Nothing was fun if it was too easy, after all.

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><p>Renji circled his opponent warily, sizing it up. There appeared to be no penetration point in its smooth armour, but he knew that wasn't the case. Everything had a weak point. Sometimes it just took some time to find out what it was.<p>

He dodged out of the way as the dragon attacked, watching for any opening that may become available. After all, even an amateur like Ichigo could find the opponent's weakness, although acting on it was another story altogether. He would just have to hope that he was fast enough and strong enough to take the chance when it came. He had to be good enough. He _had_ to. With that mentality, Renji went in for the attack.

* * *

><p>It had taken a bit of time, but Kaili had found the dragon's weakness. Just in between its wing and its back was a crack in the scales. It was small, but the slim blade of Arashi would be able to fit through easily. She waited until the dragon lunged at her again, and then she darted around its head, and stabbed her zanpaku-to through the thin opening. The effect was instant. The dragon's whole body tensed as electricity coursed through it, and then went limp and crashed to the ground, unable to move.<p>

With a small smile, Kaili dropped to the ground, raising her sword for the finishing attack.

* * *

><p>The dragon dodged Zabimaru, and Renji barely managed to get out of the way in time to avoid being roasted. He dropped to the ground, scowling in thought. It was faster than he had anticipated, which caused a few problems, but none that he couldn't solve. It would just require a bit of problem solving. And although Byakuya was far better at problem solving than Renji was, Renji wasn't that bad. After all, he <em>was<em> the Vice Captain of the Sixth Division. He wouldn't have gotten there if he were an idiot.

* * *

><p><strong>Crappy ending... Sorry about that too. I'll try to make up for it tomorrow, although I do have to babysit, and have <em>more<em> bloodtests done. Apparently they got something wrong in the last one so they're going to wake me up and stab me with needles again tomorrow.Blech.**

**-Stormy**


	18. Zanpakutos, twins and unexpected allies

**What? An actual, full chapter? What's happening? ... Inspiration struck. I quite like it.**

**Anyways, sorry for missing yesterday =( I was busy being kicked, slobbered on and screamed at by one little baby. Oh, and getting blood drawn didn't help much either. I might go for a double update today, if I have time...**

**If I owned Bleach, we'd know the name of Nanao's zanpaku-to. And it would awesome.**

* * *

><p>Kaili was just about to kill the dragon in front of her when the beast croaked something unintelligible. She paused, and stared at it, wondering if she was just imagining it. Tears began to roll down the dragon's long snout, and dripped softly to the ground.<p>

"Mommy," it whimpered. Kaili cautiously approached it, and the dragon began to tremble in fear. Cautiously, Kaili sheathed her sword, and placed a gentle hand on the dragon's nose.

"You can talk?" she asked quietly, stroking the smooth scales under her fingers. "Do you have a name?"

"Calcifer," the dragon whispered, shifting a bit. The paralysis was wearing off.

"I'm Kaili. Why were you attacking us?"

"Bad man took Mommy," Calcifer replied quietly. "He won't let her go! And he makes us attack, or he'll hurt us." Slowly, he lifted his head, and gently nudged Kaili's shoulder. "Want Mommy."

"Where is the mean man?"

"In the big cave." With a flick of his tail, Calcifer pointed. "He's got people, all wrapped up in webs."

"We're trying to find the people the bad man took," Kaili told Calcifer. "Can you take us there?" Calcifer nodded his enormous head, and whistled something. The other two dragons stopped and looked over at them. While Calcifer explained, Kaili grabbed Renji and Byakuya and pulled them aside.

"They're going to help us!" she exclaimed excitedly. "They were only attacking because their Mom was stolen!" Both Byakuya and Renji looked sceptical, but they heard her out all the same.

* * *

><p>Dagger had left, leaving Bren and Tara with whiny Janice and Annica. None of them were pleased with the arrangement. Actually, Tara and Bren were ready to leave. Being bound up in spider webs was getting old, and neither of them wanted to play the part of the frightened victim, screaming her head off in her cage and doing nothing to help the situation. Instead, the two of them ignored the constant complaints coming from Annica and Janice and began to plot a way out. Unfortunately, their bonds seemed unlikely to come loose no matter <em>how<em> much they struggled.

But Tara and Bren were smart people. They were getting over ninety in every subject, had both gotten Honours with Distinction all through Junior High, and were in full IB. Between the two of them, they could think up a way out of this, even if the conclusion they finally drew was nothing less than impossible.

"Nobody else could see them," Tara pointed out. "They were like ghosts, and they had _swords_!"

"Except they have bodies, so they're not dead. It's almost like what we saw was their soul, and then they go back into their bodies.

"So if that was their souls,"

"And we were pulled out of our bodies,"

"So this is _our_ souls,"

"And they had swords, which are impossible to buy if you're a spirit that can walk through trees and buildings and shit,"

"The swords are something like an embodiment of their soul,"

"And we're souls."

"_So_," this last bit was said by both, and left unfinished, much to the confusion of Annica and Janice who were had quit complaining and were listening in, although neither of them had understood _any_ of the conversation. But Bren and Tara had both figured out what they were doing, and had gone quiet, both staying completely still with their eyes shut. Surely it couldn't be that hard.

* * *

><p>Renji squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ignore the fact that he was riding on the back of the dragon that had just tried to kill him. He had already decided that he really didn't like it, although Kaili seemed to be having the time of her life. Byakuya seemed as indifferent as usual, and it was only somebody who knew him extremely well, like Renji, who could see the small spark of exhilaration in his eyes.<p>

Renji groaned softly as the dragon turned sharply. Was he the only one not enjoying this?

"We're almost there," the dragon, who had introduced herself as Jinxx, assured him in a gentle, warm voice.

"Wonderful," Renji grumbled, clinging tightly to the row of spikes along Jinxx's neck. 'Almost' wasn't good enough for him.

* * *

><p>When Bren opened her eyes again, she was no longer wrapped in spider webs in that cave. Also, as an added bonus, Janice and Annica weren't there either. Tara was, however.<p>

Two identical women skipped across the grass in front of them, giggling.

"Welcome, welcome," they sang.

_I have brought you,_

_For one reason and one alo-_

"I never thought I'd say this but…" Tara interrupted.

"Now is _not_ the time for singing Phantom of the Opera." Bren finished.

"Who _are_ you?" the two chorused.

"I'm Tsuin," one said,

"And I'm Futago."

"We're your zanpaku-to spirits!"

"Zanpaku-to… Those are the sword things, aren't they?"

"Yep! We're the embodiment of your souls! Sit down, and let us explain."

"I don't think we really have time…"

"We have all the time that we need. Sit."

Bren and Tara exchanged a look, and then sat. After all, what did they really have to lose?

After a brief explanation on Shinigami and zanpaku-tos, they got the lecture on what they were. This was much more interesting than the other stuff, which they had mostly figured out.

"See, you two are special," Tsuin began.

"You're twins, except not," Futago finished for her.

"Twins?"

"Except not?"

"Yes. Somehow, you're souls are like the equivalent of identical twins. That's why we look identical. You're connected, and it's impossible to separate you again. Nothing like this has ever happened before, but oh well."

"So we _are_ twins…"

"Awesome."

"Normally, two Shinigami don't share a spirit world, but you two do."

Tsuin smiled slowly. "We'll explain more later. Right now, we have things to do."

"You need to remember our names," Futago added. She placed a hand on Bren's shoulder. "I am your zanpaku-to."

Tsuin pulled Tara to her feet. "And I am yours."

"Let's go."

* * *

><p>The three dragons landed neatly on the cliff by the cave, allowing their passengers to slide off.<p>

"We'll find your Mom," Kaili promised, patting Calcifer's warm nose. "Don't worry."

Once again, Renji was distracted by the odd reiatsu, which was much closer, and much, much stronger now. There was a thud from the cave, and some laughter.

"Double high five!"

"We are _awesome_!"

Suddenly, it all clicked. Renji stepped in through the door of the cave.

"What are you two _doing_ here?" he asked, incredulous.

"Oh, hey Renji." Tara and Bren said, pausing in their victory dance. "Do you mind waiting a second before you start asking questions? We're kinda in the middle of a victory dance here."

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><p><strong>So anyways, review? Maybe?<strong>

**-Stormy**


	19. Quests, threats, and insane crazies

**Castle starts tonight! Yay! I'm _so_ excited! It is the little ray of sunshine in my otherwise dark day. Yay for Castle!**

**Anyways, this story's going to be finished pretty soon. And I'm not doing a threequel. I _do_ however, have several ideas for several different stories, which I can't decide which to do yet. I may put up a poll later...**

**If I owned Bleach, there would be more murder mysteries.**

* * *

><p>Renji stared at them. "Kinda in the middle of a victory dance?" he asked, but the twins ignored him, instead continuing to jump around on the floor, singing 'we're awesome, we're awesome, we're awesome!' He had heard it before, when the two had completed a run with a good time, or had gotten a hundred on a test, but now didn't seem to be the time.<p>

Byakuya came up behind him, and frowned when he saw the two girls. "_More_ Substitute Shinigami?" he sounded incredulous. "There is something wrong with this."

"There's something wrong with these two," Renji grumbled. "They're crazy."

"Insane," Bren and Tara corrected quickly. "Not crazy. Just insane. Who's the hottie?" They pointed to Byakuya with matching looks of amusement. Byakuya made a choking noise, and Bren and Tara laughed, before turning their attention onto Kaili. Renji felt a bit sorry for her. Those identical green eyed stares could be a bit disconcerting at the best of times.

Bren had her head tilted to the side, and was frowning a bit as she studied Kaili, before a thin smile spread over her lips. She and Tara exchanged a look.

"Looking for something?" Bren asked finally. Kaili nodded.

"Need some help?" Tara inquired, standing in the exact same way as Bren. Kaili nodded again.

"Woo! Let's go on the Magical Quest for the… What exactly are we trying to find?"

"A dragon."

"We're going to find the dragon!"

"The wonderful dragon of Oz!"

Skipping, the two girls escorted a slightly bemused looking Kaili towards the back of the cave, talking animatedly. Byakuya stared after them before turning to Renji.

"Are they always like that?" he asked finally.

"No. Usually they're worse."

* * *

><p>Janice stared down at the figures below them with barely contained glee. The gorgeous man had come to save her! She still had a chance! That was how it went, after all. The handsome prince came and saved the damsel in distress, and then they fell in love and got married and lived happily ever after. That was how this would go too, she was certain of it. The story had to work out. That was how things worked. The story always finished the same way. <em>Always<em>.

Suddenly, her bindings gave way and she screamed as she plummeted towards the ground. Somebody caught her before she hit the ground, and Janice looked up into the loveliest gray eyes she had ever seen.

Byakuya grimaced a bit at the blood-curdling shriek that Janice let out when she fell, but caught her anyways, although he would have loved to just let her fall to the hard floor. The looks that she kept giving him were creepy.

Janice reached up towards him. "You came to save me!" she squealed happily. Byakuya scowled down at her, and dropped her on ground, shrugging indifferently.

"I didn't do it for you," he informed her calmly. "It's my job." It was almost comical, the way that Janice sprawled on the floor, staring up at him with a look of utter betrayal.

"B-but…"

"I don't know you. I can't create any feelings of compassion for somebody that I don't know.

"Plus, he's taken," Renji murmured wickedly, wrapping his arms around Byakuya's waist.

"Yes," Byakuya agreed. "There's that too." He almost felt bad for Janice. _Almost_. He could've if she had been a bit nicer. And a bit quieter. And a bit less stalkerish.

* * *

><p>Annica sat on the ground beside her mother, frowning. Kaili was there, which annoyed her. Why was Kaili the centre of attention, and not her? It wasn't fair! Kaili was <em>stupid<em>, and she, Annica, was the most brilliant child in the history of children. So there.

There were also those annoying singing girls, and four _dragons_! Everybody knew that dragons didn't exist, so why were they there? And everybody knew that it was illegal to carry weapons, and yet everybody had swords! The only logical solution was that they were dragon slayers, but if that were true, why was there no slaying happening? Annica came to the only solution left. Everybody there was stupid and crazy.

She turned to her mother, who was still sulking from her obvious rejection, and tugged on her sleeve.

"Everybody here's stupid. I wanna go."

"Go ahead," was the lofty reply. Annica looked up and found herself staring into two pairs of indistinguishable green eyes. "Nobody here likes you. But we'll warn you. There're monsters out there. Waiting for naïve brats like yourself so that they can have an easy feast."

Annica stared up at her. "There're no such things as monsters."

"No? Then how'd you get here? If that wasn't a monster that grabbed you, I don't know _what_ it was." The two girls squatted down in front of her. "Listen. You're a little horror and no mistake. You think you're better than everybody else for no reason whatsoever. You bully to get your way. That stops here, understood? The only stupid person here is you, and maybe your mother. Because there are worse things waiting for bad children than monsters under your bed."

"There's us."

"Got that?"

"You can't boss me around. It's a free country."

"If that's so, how come _you're_ allowed to boss _everybody else_ around?"

Annica had no answer to that.

The two girls stood. "Think on that for a bit." They suggested, before leaving. Annica was left staring after them, with her equally bewildered mother beside her.

* * *

><p>Mrs. Grant stood in the doorway of the hospital room where Annica and Janice's bodies were lying still. Some weird invisible monster running around town. Weird explanations on 'Shinigami' and 'Hollows'. And now this. Four people gone into sudden, unexplainable comas within a day. Everything had been turned slightly. Not upside down, because if she shut her eyes, she could still pretend that life was normal. Not fully sideways even. Just crooked enough for it to make a difference.<p>

Quietly she turned and walked out of the room. She strode quickly down the shiny, empty polished halls, which smelt strongly of cleaner and disinfectant. But despite the nearly overpowering scent, there was still the lingering odour of blood and death underneath of it all. Under the gentle beeping and whirring of machines, and squeaking of shoes on overly clean floors, and creaking of doors, she could still hear the sobs of people being told the bad news. Even after she had left the depressing building, the soft moans of the sick and injured still rang in her ears.

No matter how much she told herself that hospitals were good places, she still hated them. She hated them for the feeling that they gave her, as though she were a child again, standing by her grandmother's bed, hearing the sobs, and seeing the weakness with which the old woman held herself, but still not understanding, at least, not until it was too late.

Yes, she completely despised hospitals. They brought back too many bad memories, and not nearly enough good ones.

* * *

><p><strong>Mrs. Grant's view on hospitals is the exact same as mine. I mean, I <em>know<em> they're wonderful places that save people's lives daily and all that but... Too many bad things happen there for me to ever like them.**

**Review?**

**-Stormy**


	20. Stealth, plans and overlooked problems

**What? An update? What is this nonsense?**

**So sorry that took like... what was it? Two weeks? But I've been so busy! Four hours of swimming a week, plus homework, plus babysitting, plus family reunion thingies, plus friends' birthdays= no updates.**

**But I managed to do one today... Yay!**

**Anyways, this is going to be done within the next four chapters, most likely, and I'm probably not going to be writing much fanfiction for a while... I've got a little project of my own that I'd like to try out, and although I'll probably fail epically... I'm still going to try.**

**If I owned Bleach, there would be an episode where somebody has to try babysitting Yachiru.**

* * *

><p>Bren and Tara led Annica and Janice across the soft desert sand, searching for the exit, which Renji had described to them in great detail, with brief interjections from Kaili. Neither had been too happy with their assigned job- which was to get Janice and Annica back to their bodies, and then to return to their own, but they both understood why it needed to be done.<p>

Still, was it _really_ necessary for Annica and Janice to be _conscious_ at the time? Because, really, they could just knock them out and drag them. A bit painful, perhaps, but much better than listening to their idiotic complaints. Besides, it would only be painful for Annica and Janice, and in the twins' opinion, they deserved it.

Swallowing a groan, and forcing back the urge to beat the crap out of Janice and Annica, Bren trudged on. Her only comfort was that she knew that Tara felt the exact same way.

"What day is it?" Tara asked offhandedly.

"Wednesday." There was a brief pause, and then an identical grin spread onto both girls' faces.

"Goliath came out yesterday!" They exclaimed together. "Yay!" This realization brought on another dance, this time one of pure elation. After all, they had been waiting for it for a year.

* * *

><p>A brief meeting later, the three Shinigami and four dragons had a battle plan. Of course, <em>something<em> was going to go wrong, but it was comforting knowing that they had something planned, even if it didn't work out. Now they were just waiting for Dagger to come back to the cave.

Victory was very nearly certain. Even though Dagger was invisible, there was still only one of him against seven of them. The odds weren't in his favour. But even so, Byakuya felt that they had missed something. Something important. It was bothering him, to the point where he was finding it difficult to concentrate on the world around him. Something imperative had been overlooked, and if he didn't think of it, soon, they were going to be in big trouble. He just knew it. Unfortunately, he _still_ couldn't figure it out.

* * *

><p>It had only taken Tara and Bren a few minutes to figure out how truly <em>depressing<em> Hueco Mundo was. In a place where the sun never shone, and monsters lurked around every corner, there had to be _something_ cheerful. But there was nothing. They couldn't find anything even remotely happy about this place. Everything spoke of danger and darkness, and really, it was fitting. Even so, neither girl could shake off the blanket of gloominess that had been draped over their shoulders. There only comfort was that if _they_ were feeling bad, Annica and Janice must have been feeling ten times worse.

The sand whispered softly into the silence, and Tara and Bren exchanged a look. It was almost as though they were being warned, and in this dark atmosphere, what was to say that they weren't. Both of them stopped so suddenly that Janice and Annica nearly ran into them. Ignoring the squawks of irritation from behind them, both girls listened intently. Again, there was the barely audible hiss of sand parting underfoot. And nobody was moving.

Slowly, they drew their zanpaku-tos, holding them ready. After all, it was unlikely that the being coming towards them was an innocent bookseller, here to give them Goliath. Although that would be amazing, the chances extremely slim, like the chances of Terry Pratchett coming to Alberta, although that too would be amazing.

"What are you _doing_?" Annica demanded. Bren and Tara both groaned softly.

"You really don't know the meaning of the word stealth, do you?" Bren hissed angrily.

"Of course I do! It means-" Annica began, just as a menacing shape darted out from behind a sand dune and leapt towards them.

* * *

><p>Renji was leaning against the wall of the cave when he came.<p>

"Well, I've come to play a game!" Dagger exclaimed, before noticing that his captives were no longer there. His handsome face (and Renji had to admit that he _was_ handsome, although not _nearly_ as good-looking as Byakuya) contorted into a scowl.

"It's not very nice to steal people's toys." He whined. "Not nice at all."

"People aren't toys," Kali informed him stubbornly.

Dagger ignored her. "Now I have to go and get them back," he muttered, turning towards the exit. "Bullies."

Three sharp blades stopped his exit. "Not a chance," Kaili told him. Dagger's eyes narrowed.

"So _you_ want to play now?" he asked. "Fine. Let's play." He lifted two fingers to his mouth and whistled sharply. "But first let me call some friends."

Just as dark figures rose over the horizon, swooping towards them, Byakuya realized what they had been missing. Dagger had more than just three dragons under his control. Much more.

Suddenly, it was them that were outnumbered.

* * *

><p><strong>So... Review?<strong>

**-Stormy**


	21. Fights, songs and necessary roughness

**Wow... It's been like... a month since I last updated. More. Sorry guys. Please don't hate me too much!**

**Anyways, during that time our computer crashed and we had to get a new one, losing all of the files saved on the old one. Luckily I kept all of my 'important' stuff on a memory stick, but the same can't be said about our iTunes, emails and school projects. So right now I'm reuploading our iTunes library while I wrote this. That's all that it took to get me motivated. A crashed computer and a few hours spent uploading cds to the new one...**

**Anyways, the new computer is amazing, so I'm not complaining too much. Just about the lost data I suppose, but we have highspeed internet now (finally). **

**If I owned Bleach I wouldn't be writing crappy fanfiction while eating leftover halloween candy and updating our computer.**

* * *

><p>"Tsuin," Tara murmured, swishing her zanpaku-to out to the side, and watching with extreme satisfaction as it sliced through the flesh of the 'hollow' that had been about to eat them.<p>

"Futago," Bren's soft voice came in just after her, and a howl of pain from the hollow accompanied her statement. The two girls looked at each other, examining their zanpaku-tos with identical looks of wonder. A slim silver chain ran between the two of them, connecting them through their zanpaku-tos. The blades themselves hadn't changed much, aside from the etchings on the metal. Feeling a bit disappointed that they didn't have the time to examine the markings, the two girls resumed their attack.

It was far harder than expected. Although the hollow was easy to defeat- one solid stroke through the mask finished the job for them, they kept tripping over the chain connecting them. It was too long sometimes, when they were close together, and too short when they were far apart.

"This may take some practice," Bren remarked, running her fingers over the delicate silver chain.

"Is this _really_ necessary?" Tara wondered.

"Apparently."

"Dammit."

"What was _that_?" Annica demanded, scowling. "I don't like it."

"That was a monster," Bren said, finally getting tired of Annica. "And do you know what monsters do with bad little children? They _eat_ them. And the next one will eat _you_ if you don't shut up right now."

"Monsters aren't real!" Annica insisted.

"Well what was that then? An innocent little bunny rabbit? I think not. And look, you didn't shut up. Too bad." Bren turned away, smirking. "I guess the monsters will feed well tonight." Annica didn't say anything more after that.

"That was a bit harsh, don't you think?" Tara asked quietly.

"Well if you want her to keep on talking, you can go ahead and tell her that it was a lie," Bren retorted.

"I'd rather not. Now that she's quiet, I'd like to keep it that way."

"Thought so."

Despite the fact that they were greatly outnumbered, the battle was far easier than expected. For one, none of the beings going up against them seemed to be fighting at their full power. It was almost as though they had just come from another battle and were still exhausted. What with Byakuya and Renji's Bankais, and Kaili's paralyzing zanpaku-to, not to mention the four dragons fighting alongside them the fight was almost _easy_. Almost.

It definitely would have been simple if they hadn't been trying _not_ to kill their attackers. None of them thought that it was quite fair to kill something that was enslaved and being forced to fight against its will. And so, instead of simply shredding through the incoming monsters with thousands of tiny, gleaming blades, Byakuya was attempting to render unconscious several hundred incoming monsters with thousands of tiny blades. For obvious reasons, this was so much more difficult than the alternative. With a soft sigh, Byakuya gave up on the whole thousands of tiny blades thing and did something (another thing) that he'd sworn never to do. But since the only person he was breaking a promise with was himself, he figured that it was the smallest of all of his offences. Placing the tips of his fingers together, he murmured a phrase of words under his breath.

Bren and Tara were enjoying a thankfully silent walk when Janice spoke up.

"You know, I really must protest this treatment," she began haughtily. "You can_not_ just waltz around and order us around. We have rights."

"You know what," Bren began, turning to face the older woman.

"You're right." Tara finished.

"So you can go and do whatever you want,"

"While we go and do whatever _we_ want."

"It'll certainly be a whole bunch enjoyable than babysitting you two."

The 'twins' both waved cheerfully, and dashed over the sand.

_An angelface smiles to me,_

_Under a headline of tragedy,_

_That smile used to give me warmth_

_Farewell- no words to say_

_Beside the cross on your grave_

_And those forever burning candles_

"You know, I like the end better."

"Me too. Let's skip the middle!"

_Sing me a song_

_Of your beauty_

_Of your kingdom_

_Let the melodies of your harps_

_Caress those whom we still need_

_Yesterday we shook hands_

_My friend_

_Today a moonbeam lightens my path_

_My guardian_

Janice and Annica stared at each other, bewildered.

"Now what?" Annica asked, sounding shocked. There was a blur of movement, and Tara and Bren reappeared back in front of them.

"Just kidding!" they chorused.

"Did you honestly think that we'd just leave you here?" Tara inquired.

"We hate you, but not that much." Bren continued with a small shrug. "Now shut up and come _on_. Both Goliath _and_ Mastiff came out, and I want to read them. Sooner rather than later."

The only warning that came before... whatever Byakuya did was a soft, muted hum in the air. Then a bright light flashed through the cave, followed by a foggy haze that obscured all vision. When it cleared the cave was completely empty of all of the monsters. Byakuya was standing off to the side, looking annoyed. Deciding that whatever he had done, Renji didn't want to be on the receiving end of it, he glanced around the cave. Kaili was standing with her zanpaku-to up, looking just as confused as he felt. The four dragons also looked bewildered.

"What'd you do?" Renji demanded.

"I freed them." Byakuya frowned a bit and then shrugged, turning his attention to Dagger. "They're not your toys anymore. They never can be ever again."

"You took away my toys? You can't do that!"

"I just did."

With a roar of rage, Dagger sprang at Byakuya, who dodged the blow easily, appearing next to Renji.

"How'd you do that?" Renji asked.

"It's complicated. Is now _really_ the time?"

"I suppose not."

Screaming his anger, Dagger attacked again.

They exited Hueco Mundo and sprinted their way down the streets towards the hospital. Nobody noticed their presence, which was really cool. Once they'd reached the hospital, they went their separate ways, towards their bodies.

To Tara and Bren, it was actually a little bit disappointing, sinking back into their bodies. They had been so free as souls. They had been able to walk on air and nobody had noticed their presence. It had been _fun_. After that, being back in their physical bodies was a bit disappointing. But, the thought of finally being able to read both Mastiff and Goliath was a perfect antidote for the depression that had set in at the thought of how confining having physical bodies was.

However, apparently they weren't allowed to read Mastiff or Goliath just yet. The hospital staff was stumped at their sudden recovery from a coma, and wanted them to stay at the hospital to have some tests done. Although the word tests didn't sound at all appealing, the two girls didn't exactly have a choice. Bored, they retreated into their inner world, which was so much more interesting than the real one at the moment. Soon a chorus of four voices sounded over the inner landscape.

_Oh and now,_

_The end is near_

_And I face that final curtain_

_So good-bye to strife_

_This is the last dance of my life_

_Lord, of this I'm certain_

_I've been a sinner,_

_I've been a saint,_

_Done both good and evil deeds_

_Oh, but in the end, I was good to my friends_

_And that's good enough for me._

_Oh good Lord, they say all souls you forgive_

_Well if that's true then why_

_does there need to be a Hell?_

_Hey, what's that sulfur-y smell?_

_Now I can feel the fire creepin' up my thigh.__  
><em>

_I'm goin' to Hell,_

_In a handbasket._

_It's a Bohemian Rhapsody._

_Oh, Galileo, mama mia,_

_Scaramouch, Scaramouch._

_Oh, Beelzebub's got a devil put aside for me._

* * *

><p><strong>The songs in this chapter are 'Angels Fall First' by Nightwish and 'Hell in a Handbasket' by Voltaire. Check them out, they're amazing! (I'd post the links, but fanfiction doesn't allow that).<strong>

**Review? Unless you're so mad at me for not updating that you're totally going to ignore me. I can't really blame you either way.**

**-Stormy**


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